Some recent advances in color science

We will discuss some of main topics in two recent publications on color from the International Commission on Illumination (CIE): CIE 015:2018 and CIE 248:2022. Regarding CIE 015:2018, it is the 4th edition of the most important CIE general publication on colorimetry, generally known as ‘CIE publication 15’. Among main novelties in CIE 015:2018 with respect to its previous 2004 edition, we can mention the introduction of the next four topics: 1) Cone-fundamental-based colorimetric observers; 2) New CIE illuminants (indoor daylight illuminants, smoothed daylight illuminants, illuminant E, and white LED illuminants); 3) The CIE colour appearance model CIECAM02; 4) The CIE 2017 color fidelity index. As a consequence of the active research on color appearance during the past few years, CIE 248:2022 proposed the CIECAM16 color appearance model for related colors and CIE 1931 standard colorimetric observer. In general, color appearance models provide a viewing-condition-specific method for the transformation of the tristimulus values X, Y, Z, to or from perceptual attribute correlates. CIECAM16 replaces CIECAM02 and may be useful for color management systems and image industries. CIECAM16 is simpler and maintains the predictions of experimental visual data made by CIECAM02. Finally, we will discuss advances in two issues related to color included in the current CIE Research Strategy: 1) A roadmap toward a new CIE colorimetry based on cone fundamentals, currently studied by CIE Technical Committee 1-98; 2) Color differences in tri-dimensional object colors and spatio-chromatic complexity, currently studied by CIE Technical Committees 8-17 and 8-14, respectively. In overall, we can conclude that color science is an active inter- and multi-disciplinary research field where optics continues playing a key role.