QUALITY OF LIGHT
THE IMPORTANCE OF
QUALITY COLOR RENDERING
THE NEXT GENERATION OF COLOR RENDERING
Quality color rendering is an important aspect of a light source
as the light will reveal colors of objects accurately in comparison
with an ideal or natural light source (daylight or incandescent
bulb). A source with poor color rendering may cause objects
to appear dull and unsaturated (see image below) or overly
saturated and unnatural. Many artificial light sources have
lower CRIs that will mute colors in food, artwork and skin
tones, making them appear less vibrant. We use very high CRIs,
typically in the range of 80-98 CRI, to assure that colors are
rendered vibrantly and true.
IES TM-30-18 is a new color rendering system that remedies
flaws/limitations of CRI, providing complementary and more
detailed information that benefits both specifiers and manu-
facturers. The much wider range of colors is a more accurate
reflection of the real world – allowing you to show detailed
colors for skin tones, wood grains, decorative art, furnishings,
merchandising and more.
While CRI isn’t going anywhere soon, it’s important to familiar-
ize yourself with the new TM-30 metrics as they will become
more common in years to come.
A combination of TM-30’s Fidelity (Rf), Gamut (Rg) and Color
Vector Graphic will help further clarify beyond the typical CRI
metric how a test source compares to a reference source.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND TM-30 DATA
FOR DIODE LED PRODUCTS?
TM-30 data including the metrics above and other useful graphics
are available for Diode LED’s premier lines of lighting products
at www.DiodeLED.com. Remember, not all applications require
the highest quality lighting i.e. garages, warehouses and some
outdoor environments. We can help you find the right light for
the right application. Additionally, you can count on Diode LED
to be at the forefront of understanding and implementing the
latest technology to provide superior and quality products.
HIGH CRI
LOW CRI
CRI VS TM-30 RENDERING TOOLS
A FAMILIAR COLOR RENDERING TOOL: CRI
The most familiar calculator is CRI (Color Rendering Index),
which has been utilized to measure color rendering properties
of light sources for over 50 years. CRI has been widely adopted
in the lighting industry for its ease of use as it only calculates
a single metric―Fidelity (Ra). Sunlight has a CRI of 100, the
highest mark on the 0-100 scale. CRI is calculated using an
average of 8 specific R-values representing 8 different colors
within the light spectrum. High R9, R13 and R14 values are
particularly important for illuminating skin tones, decorative art
and retail merchandise properly. Our products are engineered
specifically to deliver high R9, R13 and R14 values to assure your
installations deliver superior color rendering.
A BRIEF LOOK INTO TM-30:
PA S TEL
COLORS
R1
E ARTH
COLORS
R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14
CRI VALUE AVER AGE
4
SATUR ATED
COLORS
CIE 13.3-1995 (CRI/Ra)
• Last major update was in 1976
• 8 main color samples (Ra), 6 special samples
• Measures Fidelity (Ra) only
IES TM-30-18
• Released in 2015
• 99 color samples
• Measures Fidelity (Rf), Gamut (Rg) and includes Color Vector
Graphic for detailed hues
TM-30 COLOR CHART
TM-30 measures against 99 color samples, all used to provide
Fidelity (Rf), Gamut (Rg) and Color Vector Graphics.
Visit us at www.DiodeLED.com to find up-to-date technical
information about our products, including information about
quality of light, compatibility charts, specification sheets,
photometric data, wiring diagrams, educational tutorials, videos
and more.
NOT INCLUDED IN CRI VALUE
diode led
®