Lighting terms can have long-winded explanations and probably confuse even Edison himself, but we promise they each bring something unique to the table. There are lumens candlepower and color temperature but one term that is important is the Color Rendering Index (CRI).  Developed by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in 1964 was the worldwide industry standard for measuring color rendering from light sources.  CRI measures a light source’s ability to reproduce the colors of miscellaneous objects compared to their true color in a natural source of light such as the sun. This is not to be mistaken for color temperature, which determines the actual color of the light and not its accuracy (color temperatures usually span between 2700-5500 degrees, Kelvin, with the high temperatures offering a cooler light than the warmer lights of the lower temperatures).            

Film and photography depend on high CRI numbers (90-100) because of the importance of lighting in the respective industries.  Incandescent and halogen light bulbs tend to have the highest CRI ratings.  Lamps on the lower end of CRI spectrum (20-40) tend to wash out colors but are typically fine in commercial settings such as warehouses and factories.  Fluorescent bulbs usually have the lowest CRI rating.