Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!endor!greg
From: greg@endor.harvard.edu (Greg)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Frequency distributions of red, green, and blue.
Message-ID: <647@husc6.HARVARD.EDU>
Date: Thu, 13-Nov-86 17:37:15 EST
Article-I.D.: husc6.647
Posted: Thu Nov 13 17:37:15 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 13-Nov-86 22:03:18 EST
Sender: news@husc6.HARVARD.EDU
Reply-To: greg@endor.UUCP (Greg)
Organization: Harvard
Lines: 19

As most of you know, the color "red" on a monitor is really some distribution
of frequencies of visible light; i.e. when a red piece of phosphorous emits
some amount of light at a wavelength of 2200 angstroms, some different amount
at 2201 angstroms, and so on.  Similarly, a red patch on color film reflects
some known percentage of the incident light at a given frequency.  Lastly, the
red receptors in my eyes respond differently to different wavelengths.  For
example, I may see half as much red if my eye receives 1 unit of light at
wavelength 2000 angstroms as I would see if my eye received 1 unit of light at
2200 angstroms.

Does anyone have know (or have references to) the exact frequency profiles of
red, green, and blue phosphorous on a color monitor, red, green, and blue
film, and the red, green, and blue receptors in a person's eye?  I realize
that the characteristics of a color screen and film may vary with the brand, so
I'll mention that I'm using a Sun-3 and Kodachrome film (ASA 100 or slower; I
haven't bought the film yet).  The film will probably be developed on Kodak
paper.
----
Greg