Q. In trying to match things to my fan, I’ve noticed that a match will look good in some lights and not in others – matching cosmetics, leather shoes, bags and shiny clothing seems especially difficult for some reason. How can things appear to be an exact match in the shop and then look so different when I get them home?
A. When two colours match in some conditions and not others, this is called metamerism, and the colours are a “metameric match”. This happens because different materials and pigments like leathers, fabrics, cosmetic creams and powders reflect light differently, so depending on the composition of the item and dyes used to colour it, the match will appear different depending on the light source. This is why matches to your 12-Tone fan can seem fine under store lighting, but look noticeably different when you get them outside or home- the change in the lighting conditions changes the wavelengths of light available to be reflected and shows up any differences in the surface or pigment properties.
I advise that the best light source for colour matching is natural daylight, as this is full spectrum, universally available, and free!
1 replies to “Colour Q and A – Metamerism”
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!