Starter Spectra for Custom Color Vision 

Normal trichromatic circular hue spectrum. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (protanopia, strong protanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"Purple doesn't exist."

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (moderate-strong protanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (mild protanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (very mild protanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (protanopia, strong protanomaly). But with amber instead of yellow, and lapis instead of blue. This spectrum is a little less dysfunctional (~18-20 nanometer shift) than the yellow/blue protanopia spectrum (~20+ nanometer shift), but only because it's not designed 100% correct yet. Some papers and CVD simulation apps decide to use amber and lapis instead of yellow and blue. That's why I've added this custom spectrum as an inspiration. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"It's the same, yet different."

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (protanopia, strong protanomaly). But with red instead of yellow. This spectrum is still fully dichromatic and protanopic, although this effect works better for normal trichromats than protanopes/deuteranopes. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"Not much to see for protan-/deuteranopes, but normal trichromats will find this interesting."

Perceived approximate protanopic spectrum (protanopia, strong protanomaly). But with red instead of yellow and green instead of blue. This spectrum is still fully dichromatic and protanopic, although this effect works only for normal trichromats and tritans. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"It's protanopia but with tritanopic colors. What?"

Perceived approximate deuteranopic spectrum (deuteranopia, strong deuteranomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"Red is green, literally."

Perceived approximate deuteranopic spectrum (moderate-strong deuteranomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate deuteranopic spectrum (mild-moderate deuteranomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate deuteranopic spectrum (mild deuteranomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate deuteranopic spectrum (deuteranopia, strong deuteranomaly). But with red instead of yellow. Colors with this alternate deuteranopia spectrum will look more normal to normal trichromats. But don't be fooled, you're vision will still just be dichromatic. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled after Kröger et al. (2013), Jenny et al. (2007) and Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

If an individual's M-cones are completely impaired and the L-cone signal would still be qualitatively "red", then it's likely that deuteranopes will see the world in these colors.

"Still confusion. But now in red!"

Perceived approximate tritanopic spectrum (tritanopia, strong tritanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

"Who needs blue anyway?"

Perceived approximate tritanopic spectrum (moderate-strong tritanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate tritanopic spectrum (moderate tritanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate tritanopic spectrum (mild-moderate tritanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate tritanopic spectrum (very mild tritanomaly). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after Machado et al. (2009). Designed to be compatible with the specific confusion colors set by the EnChroma color blind test.

Perceived approximate L-cone-monochromatic spectrum (red-only). Doesn't necessarily simulate L-cone-monochromacy as seen on a screen. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after normalized response spectra of human cones to monochromatic spectral stimuli.

Perceived approximate M-cone-monochromatic spectrum (green-only). Doesn't necessarily simulate M-cone-monochromacy as seen on a screen. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after normalized response spectra of human cones to monochromatic spectral stimuli.

Perceived approximate S-cone-monochromatic spectrum (blue-only). Doesn't necessarily simulate S-cone-monochromacy as seen on a screen. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Approximately modelled and inspired after normalized response spectra of human cones to monochromatic spectral stimuli.

The red-green color channel is replaced with the yellow-blue color channel, and all the other hues are black or blackish. Red is yellow and green is blue in order to simulate the distinctiveness of these two hues for people with a red-green color vision deficiency. If you couldn't distinguish the colors of a red-green color-coded map before because the designers forgot about CVDs, now you can easily distinguish red-green with this custom spectrum. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Not being able to read badly color-coded maps is a thing of the past now."

Different shades of blue and yellow have been used to substitute the hues that red-green color vision deficient people can't distinguish. There will still be a lot of metameric colors and hues, but you'll generally be able to distinguish most colors better with this custom spectrum as someone with deuteranopia/-omaly and protanopia/-omaly. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

This is an example strong Daltonisation spectrum. You can customize is it in the exact way that it helps you the most.

"How did I miss these colors before! Now they're obvious. :0"

Red and green has been spread across a wider range of the hue spectrum in order to make blue more visible, yellows more distinct, greens and cyans more contrasty; it generally makes colors more distinguishable for tritans. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Failing a colorblind test has become a thing of the past."

Set the upper spectrum to your first eye's and the lower spectrum to your second eye's color vision.

Impossible hue explanation:

Key: first-eye-color-upper-spectrum/second-eye-color-lower-spectrum

• Red: black/yellow

• Orange: dark-yellow/yellow

• Yellow: yellow/yellow

• Lime: yellow/white

• Green: yellow/blue

• Turquoise: light-yellow/blue

• Cyan: white/blue

• Cobalt: light-blue/blue

• Blue: blue/blue

• Purple: dark-blue/blue

• Magenta: black/blue

• Pink: black/white

This is an impossible trichromacy that only uses impossible red-green dichromatic color combinations. People with deuteranopia and protanopia can use this spectrum to distinguish colors trichromatically, even with fully dichromatic color vision. Visit How To Correct Color Vision Deficiencies for more information.

 Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"This is a functional trichromacy with only impossible dichromatic color combos. The world's first!"

Set the upper spectrum to your first eye's and the lower spectrum to your second eye's color vision.

Impossible hue explanation:

Key: first-eye-color-upper-spectrum/second-eye-color-lower-spectrum

• Red: red/black

• Orange: light-red/black

• Yellow: white/black

• Lime: light-green/dark-green

• Green: green/green

• Turquoise: green/light-green

• Cyan: green/white

• Cobalt: green/gray

• Blue: green/black

• Purple: green/dark-red

• Magenta: green/red

• Pink: white/red

This is an impossible trichromacy that only uses impossible blue-yellow dichromatic color combinations. People with tritanopia can use this spectrum to distinguish colors trichromatically, even with fully dichromatic color vision. Visit How To Correct Color Vision Deficiencies for more information.

 Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"This is a functional trichromacy with only impossible dichromatic color combos. The world's first!"

Hue focus spectra on red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta hues. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Telling these hues apart is easy now."

Hue focus spectra on red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta hues, but only using yellow and blue. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Telling these hues apart is even more easy now (as a red-green dichromat)."

Hue focus spectra on red, orange, yellow, lime, green, turquoise, cyan, cobalt, blue, purple, magenta and pink hues. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"It's really easy to what which hue is which with this."

Hue focus spectra on red, orange, yellow, lime, green, turquoise, cyan, cobalt, blue, purple, magenta and pink hues, but only using yellow and blue. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"It's really easy to what which hue is which with this (even though it's just yellow and blue hue qualia)."

Hue focus spectra on red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta hues, but only using white. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"This is very useful for monochromats. The contrast is really high."

White stays white, but the more blue something is the more it becomes an impossible white/black color. This is an impossible color vision for (blue-cone) monochromats that approaches protanopia, but isn't fully there yet. Bluish is now different from white. There aren't enough unique color qualities in monochromacy to grant full dichromacy without color repititions and ambiguity. This means you can only add one new unique impossbile hue in monchromacy, which is a white/black (black/white and white/black look the same; key: left-eye-color/right-eye-color). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Finally, blue is its own color and not white anymore."

This is a temporal color spectrum. Red flickers 6, yellow 5, green 4, cyan 3, blue 2 times and magenta 1 time. This is a color vision you have to get used, but it's very effective. Trained monochromats should be able to trichromatically distinguish colors with this temporal color vision. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application. Epilepsy trigger warning!

"Something I need to get used to, but wow."

A spectrum with twice as many hues. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Hue, but times two! Heh."

A spectrum with four times as many hues. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"4-times the rainbow hues and 4-times the blues."

A spectrum with twice as many hues, plus hue-randomization. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"I think I've jumbled up my colors..."

A spectrum with four times as many hues, plus hue-randomization. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Oh no, I've jumbled up my colors even more!"

Normal trichromatic spectrum, but with red and green as well as cyan and magenta interchanged. This custom spectrum addresses the challenge of incomparable color quality across observers and emphasizes that color discriminability is more crucial than subjective quality. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

Only the main hue categories red, green and blue are visible. All the other hues are either darker versions of these three or black. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

Only the main hue categories yellow, cyan and magenta are visible. All the other hues are either darker versions of these three or black. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

Only the main hue categories red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta are visible. All the other hues are either darker versions of these six or black. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

Only the main hue categories red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta are visible. It's the 1940's! All the other hues haven't been invented yet. Spectrum created with PhotoScape X Pro (i.e. an image editing program).

The normal trichromatic spectrum, but the color green has been sent to the backrooms. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

The normal trichromatic spectrum, but the color red has decided to go onto a self-discovery journey without you. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

The normal trichromatic spectrum, but narrowed to the red-yellow-green range. It's more, but also less! Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

The normal trichromatic spectrum, but narrowed to the red-yellow range. You'll still roughly see the same amount of hues, but only in a comparatively tiny visible spectrum. Watch supposedly "red-monochromatic images" with this, for example. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

The normal trichromatic spectrum, but narrowed to the red-orange range. You'll still roughly see the same amount of hues, but only in a comparatively even tinier visible spectrum. Images will appear more pixelated, but only because they're not built for such a nuanced functional but anomalous trichromacy. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"You won't see hues most of the time. But if you see them, they're brilliant."

Blue (yes, it's really just blue). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"How could you tell that my favorite color is blue? ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• )"

Green and magenta are nowhere to be seen. Instead, white and black are disguising as hues. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Who needs green and magenta anyway. (╯▔皿▔)╯"

Simulated cool and warm vision. There's a hightened cool-warm contrast. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Very cool. (👉ﾟヮﾟ)👉 🔥❄️"

Simulated cool and warm vision. There's a hightened cool-warm contrast. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"People who like this spectrum probably also like to watch white paint dry on a wall in realtime. ⬜🖌️"

Simulated color vision as seen through a strong magenta colored lens. Already adjusted for color contrast. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"You can see more limes and basils as well as emeralds and turquoises, but everything else becomes kind of meh."

Roughly the same amount of normal hues, but shifted towards blue for better blue discriminability. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"More hue in the blue might interest you."

Roughly the same amount of normal hues, but shifted towards red for better red hue discriminability. Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"I've never seen this many color details in people's faces."

The same amount of normal hues in the same positions, but pale (i.e. less saturation). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"This is quite calming."

The same amount of normal hues in the same positions, but darker (i.e. less value/luminosity). Spectrum created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"Everything looks much more victorian."

The normal hue spectrum, followed by the 3 major dichromacies (in sequence: deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia). Spectra created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"I can have whatever 'colorblindness' I want!"

4 themed spectra that might help you. Spectra created with the 1D Color Texture Designer (Multi-Spectrum) application.

"I deem this quite useful."