Luminance is the measure of how bright a light source appears, quantified in units like candelas per square meter or nits. This unit helps assess the brightness of displays, lighting, and screens, crucial for applications in everything from television displays to street lighting. Whether it’s a room full of lights or the pixels on your phone screen, understanding luminance ensures that we create the right lighting conditions for every environment. This category helps measure and control light in a way that enhances visual clarity and comfort.
- Candela per Square Meter (cd/m²): This is the SI unit of luminance, representing the amount of light emitted or reflected from a surface per unit area. It's used to measure the brightness of displays and lighting.
- Lumens per Square Foot (lm/ft²): This unit measures the amount of luminous flux (light output) per unit area, typically used in lighting design for indoor spaces. It relates to the intensity of light reaching a specific area.
- Nit (nt): A unit of luminance, commonly used in the display industry to measure how bright a screen or display is. One nit is equal to one candela per square meter (cd/m²).
- Lambert (L): An older unit of luminance, primarily used in the field of optical engineering, where one lambert represents the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface emitting one lumen per square centimeter.
- Foot-Lambert (fL): A unit related to lamberts, used in the film and television industry to measure screen brightness. One foot-lambert is equal to 1/π lambert.
- Candela per Square Inch (cd/in²): This unit is used to measure luminance, but on a per-inch basis, typically for measuring brightness on smaller screens or devices.
- Kilolux (klx): This unit is used for measuring illuminance and luminance, equivalent to 1,000 lux. It’s often used to describe the brightness in areas with high light intensity, like large outdoor spaces or floodlighting.
