Color Temperature
Color temperature is a frequent topic of debate and discussion among photographers, web designers, and other artists alike, but is not always very well understood by amateurs or those who have broken into their field with self-training. This useful measure of a given color can help determine everything from the correct quality of natural light for a given setting to the precise impact of a specific hue. The terms “warm” and “cool” colors are often used to describe certain palettes, but whereas most would typically describe a vibrant red and orange sunset over against the Austin Texas skyline as “warm,” the color temperature scale is inclined toward the opposite of our cultural expectations about the degrees of colors. In fact, that Austin TX sky would signify a cool color temperature; the spectrum has as its bookends red and blue, with the former being at the lowest end, at the latter at the highest. This may be confusing at fist; after all, water taps emit cold water when turned to blue, and hot water when turned to red, and we associate vermilion peppers with hotness, while we’d typically render ice in shades of blue. The reason for this apparent contradiction can be found in the establishment of the color temperature scale itself.
In the late nineteenth century, William Kelvin experimented with a black block of carbon. Noticing that the block changed colors as it was heated; Kelvin recorded the hues radiated by the block at various temperatures. In the context of this heated “black body,” against which color temperature is calibrated, the departure from typical color associations makes sense; a red flame may be hot, but a heated object burning blue contains a much greater amount of heat. In tribute to his pioneering experiments, color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin. This temperature scale begins at absolute zero, which is 273 degrees below 0 Centigrade.
Web design specialists and photographers can use color temperature to achieve greater control over the quality of light in an image, as well as the overall atmosphere of a particular design. Just as an SEO expert uses keywords and linking schemes to create a desired result in search engine optimization, design experts can take advantage of the precision of color temperature to create realistic, attractive effects. In general, cameras are set to an indoor color balance of 3200 degrees Kelvin, and an outdoor color balance of 5500 degrees Kelvin. At these levels, a match flame, which has a color temperature of 1700 to 1800 degrees, will appear a deep nude indoors and subdued red outdoors; at the high end of the scale, a partly cloudy sky, with a color temperature of 8000 to 10,000 degrees, will appear a powdery blue indoors and a muted periwinkle outdoors.
In addition to calibration with against these standards, lighting effects can be achieved with color temperature through the use of special color gels on camera flash lenses, or with specialty lighting provided by warm In addition to calibration with against these standards, lighting effects can be achieved with color temperature through the use of special color gels on camera flash lenses, or with specialty lighting provided by warm tungsten lamps. With knowledge of the importance of color temperature in photography and design alike, professionals can achieve true to life results and truly set their products apart.
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