Do you test Specular Inclusive or Specular Exclusive?
We undertake all testing ‘Specular Component Inclusive’ to remove any variances due to the sensitivity of surface conditions. Surface conditions may affect the colour and appearance of any material.
What is Specular Inclusive and Specular Exclusive?
The finish and texture of a material may change the appearance of a colour and could make them appear brighter, duller, lighter, or darker. The material’s surface will affect how light behaves and bounces off the material, resulting in being viewed and interpreted differently.
This is referred to as Specular Reflection and Diffuse Reflection. Therefore, surfaces, with the same colour, but with a different finish will look different under varying lighting conditions.
The approach of testing Specular Inclusive is best described by Konica Minolta:
A glossy object dyed a blue color will appear more saturated and vivid, while a rough-surfaced object dyed the exact same blue color will appear duller. Although the dye color is the same on both objects, their appearance still differs. Certain color measurement instruments, including spectrophotometers, can quantify the “true” color of the object or the appearance of the object to help users control its color and appearance. This is done through the instrument’s measurement modes, Specular Component Included (SCI) and Specular Component Excluded (SCE).
To measure the “true” color of an object, SCI mode is typically used. This type of measurement includes both specular and diffused reflected light, making it unaffected by any surface conditions. If we measure the two blue objects mentioned above, a measurement in SCI mode would generate the same color values for both objects. This mode is ideal when formulating recipes to match colors and meet color quality standards more effectively.
To measure the appearance of an object’s color, SCE mode is typically used. This type of measurement excludes any specular reflected light, making it more sensitive to surface conditions. If we measure the two blue objects mentioned above, a measurement in SCE mode would generate different color values for each object. The glossy object would fall in a darker, more saturated region of the defined color space and the rough-surfaced object would fall in a lighter, less saturated region of the defined color space. This mode is more often used during quality control evaluations to ensure the appearance of their products maintain consistency and meet the standard.