Stamp Colors And Ambient Lighting

I think that ambient lighting is often taken for granted, but that it's one of the most important factors in color recognition. That's why I'm excited to announce the addition of a new tool to the Stamp Smarter website that helps you understand how ambient lighting changes the way you see stamp colors.

This tool demonstrates how the color of a stamp can change based on the wavelengths of light reflected from the surrounding environment. The wavelengths used in the tool are the same as those you'll find in most common household light bulbs.
https://stampsmarter.org/learning/G...lorTool.html

This is a companion tool for the existing information on this page
https://stampsmarter.org/learning/G..._colors.html

Don

Thank you very much for this - fascinating!

It si well known that you do NOT check or photograph stamps under any artificial light. Stamps should always be checked and photographed in bright daylight. That's the way our eyes have evolced in the distant past.
One look at ebay tells you that this rule is hardly ever followed. Almost everybody seems to be in the "In the evening I have finally time to take care of stamps" camp.

That slider thingy is awesome. Good job, Don.

I keep trying different lighting until I end up with the rarest shade….