Metamerism in Cameras, LED Walls, and LED/OLED/QD-OLED/Laser Displays
masterclass
Organized & presented by
Charles Poynton
independent researcher, Toronto
planned for SID Display Week
as remote 90‑minute presentation
Mon May 4, 2026, Los Angeles
available for presentation as 1day masterclass
registration typically €275/place (CAD 450.00)
Metamerism is a term in colour science that refers to two things: metameric success, where two different spectral distributions produce the same RGB values or evoke the same colour sensation, and metameric failure, where the same spectral distribution produces different RGB values or evokes different colour sensations. There are several variations in each of these categories, for example, camera metamerism, illuminant metamerism, and observer metamerism. In high-end colour imaging we seek predictable colour sensations, so metamerism is an important issue, both for engineering and for production.
The diversity of spectral power produced by modern display devices has raised concerns about metamerism failure. In particular, the rather narrow spectral distribution of LEDs, OLEDs, and QD-OLEDs, and especially the very narrow spectral distribution of laser cinema projectors, needs to be addressed.
HD and cinema cameras – and even high-end digital still cameras – have always had spectral response somewhat different from the theoretical response prescribed by colour science, for engineering reasons associated with improved noise performance. Metamerism failure is therefore a feature of modern cameras, and its consequences should be understood.
LEDs, including those used in virtual production, have narrow rather narrow spectral peaks, leading to illuminant metamerism. The interaction between the narrow LED peaks and camera sensitivities may lead to unpredictable colour; for example, human skin may look too pink. This issue is of great concern in production using virtual sets.
In this course, we discuss the principle of metamerism – both good and bad! – and address issues relevant to modern video and film production, post, and presentation: illumination, cameras, displays, and atypical (“colour deficient”) observers.
Charles Poynton is an independent researcher and image/colour scientist based in Toronto. He wrote the book Digital Video and HD Algorithms and Interfaces, now in its second edition. Thirty five years ago, he chose 1080 image rows for HD standards, by which “square pixels” were established for HD and digital cinema. He earned his PhD in 2018 from Simon Fraser University with a dissertation entitled Colour Appearance Issues in Digital Video, HD/UHD, and D‑cinema. He is a Fellow of SMPTE, Colorist Society (CSI), and IMIS (formerly BKSTS). ∎