CRI and TLCI Explained: What the Numbers Actually Mean

CRI (Color Rendering Index) and TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) both attempt to quantify how accurately a light source renders color, but they measure different things. CRI is calculated against a reference set of color samples and was designed primarily for the human eye. TLCI was developed specifically for broadcast and film, accounting for how camera sensors — not eyes — respond to a light source’s spectral output.

In practice: a light with CRI 95 and TLCI 85 may look fine to the naked eye but produce noticeably worse skin tones on camera. For video and photography work, TLCI is often the more reliable number to check first, when manufacturers publish it.