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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Enabling High Grayscale Resolution Displays and Accurate Response Time Measurements on Conventional Computers
Published on: February 29, 2012
Does luminance contrast determine lightness?
1Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK. a.logvinenko@gcal.ac.uk
Abstract:
When presented against a highly lit black background, dimly illuminated white paper strips appear white even when they are equiluminant with the background. Such an example of simultaneous lightness constancy cannot be accounted for by receptor gain control because of the equiluminance. Moreover, this demonstration shows that lightness cannot be reduced to 'relative brightness' as is widely believed.
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