The technique for calibrating color imagery which has been employed by the Tank-Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) includes measurement of red, green, and blue color panels using a colorimeter during the approximate time that the calibration image is captured. This method has the advantage that the luminance and chromaticity coordinates of the color panels are recorded in real time. However, the disadvantage is the amount of time it takes to measure each individual panel. Outside of a laboratory, the environment cannot be controlled, so the light level and correlated color temperature from the source may shift during the calibration period. A new technique using a spectroradiometer has been developed whereby the spectral reflectance of the color panels are measured beforehand and only the light level and spectral content from the source is monitored during the calibration period. This drastically reduces the time required for calibration, thus rendering insignificant any temporal changes in the light level or correlated color temperature of the panels. The actual luminance and chromaticity of the color panels can be calculated subsequently.
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