Digital Color Standard?

Light is part of the radiation band. Visible light is the major part, other includes infra-red and ultra-violet. In fact, visible light is a group of radiation with wavelength between 400nm to 700nm, the difference with other radiation is just the length of wavelength only. The wonder is that this group of radiation after taken up by the human vision, turn into colorful signals. Among all living creatures, human may be the only kind that can sense light in this way. Perhaps our Science is just built upon this sensitiveness to make it fit. If the world was dominated by other kind, perhaps insects, the Science would not be the same. It might be this classification of visible light that developed the Color Additive Theory, making everything just a mixture of three primary colors (R, G, B).

Photographic image, digital image and virtual image are based on human visual image. Color Photography has been developed for some tens of years, but perfect standard is still not available. With only twenty years, it is not possible to expect a color standard for digital image.

In the old days, although there was no international leading organisation to guide, yet renown film and camera suppliers had worked individually to search for their color standard. Sometimes they co-operated with each other. Some supported academic research to sublimate the overall imaging standard. Nowadays, ISO (International Standards Organisation) have done a lot to standardize every part of imaging. Still there is no universal color standard yet. This type of film may have a stronger color. That type of film may have a higher contrast. Other type may deliberately shift the color to compensate the basic shortfall.

Even Kodak has a variety of color slides, e.g. E100S, E100SW, E100VS. This indicates that we can have standard color theory, but not applicable standard. It is certain that besides films, there are a lot of factors including color temperature, lens design, film handling, exposure, processing technique, chemicals, paper etc., also the photographers' judgement. However, even we have standard color film, we may not have standard result. That is the reason why photographic art and technique have been so attractive. Photo image is not a product. Are we happy to have the photo taken at the first day of practice remains the same as what we took years after? Or can we accept that all beginners could have the same standard as professionals? Only Scientific Photography will demand standard with great effort and expenses for a specific subject with specific condition. That is not the topic this time.

In digital imaging, the main problem is that a certain number of manufacturers are not photographic by nature. Software, hardware and peripherals manufacturers are handled by computer experts with brains full of logic. Remember what Mr. Bill Gate said about images when he established Corbis? Furthermore, anything that will run on computer must be fixed with formula and predicted change. In users' viewpoint, the unstable color in digital imaging does require a revolution to keep them right.

Digital Color Standard? P.1/2