III the present experimental study, we quantify the influence of the bright
ness and contrast levels of a CRT-color monitor in the color reproduction o
f 60 Munsell chips distributed throughout the chromatic diagram. The images
were captured by two CCD cameras, and the color differences were evaluated
after reproducing the chips on a color monitor (the experiment was perform
ed with 3 different monitors) for 9 combinations of brightness-contrast lev
els. We evaluated the color differences with 3 different formulas: CIELAB,
CIELUV, and CIE94. The results indicate that the optimal settings of a moni
tor, to minimize the color differences, is a medium or minimum brightness l
evel in combination with a maximum contrast level. This combination ensures
a more faithful color reproduction with respect to the original image. (C)
1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.