Luminance Conversion - Light Converter
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What is a Luminance - Light Converter?
A luminance converter is a tool that converts between units of luminance such as candela per square meter (nit), stilb, lambert, and foot-lambert. It is used in display technology, lighting design, photography, and vision science for measuring surface brightness.
How to Convert Luminance - Light Units
Select the luminance unit you want to convert from and the target unit using the dropdown menus. Enter your value in the input field and the converter instantly calculates the equivalent luminance. Useful for display brightness specifications and lighting calculations.
Luminance - Light Conversion Formulas
History of Luminance - Light Measurement
The candela per square meter (nit) is the SI unit of luminance. The stilb (10,000 nits) is a CGS unit from older European literature. The lambert, named after Johann Heinrich Lambert who published foundational photometry work in 1760, is widely used in the US film and display industries.
About This Luminance - Light Converter
This luminance converter supports 16 units including candela/m², candela/cm², candela/ft², candela/in², kilocandela/m², stilb, lambert, millilambert, foot-lambert, apostilb, blondel, bril, skot, and lumen/steradian variants. It covers all major luminance measurement systems.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a nit in display brightness?
A nit is another name for candela per square meter (cd/m²), the SI unit of luminance. Modern smartphones have 500-2000 nits peak brightness, while HDR TVs can reach 1000-4000 nits.
How do I convert foot-lamberts to nits?
Multiply the foot-lambert value by 3.4263 to get nits (cd/m²). For example, 14 fL × 3.4263 = 48 nits (typical cinema screen brightness).
What is the difference between luminance and illuminance?
Illuminance (lux) measures light falling on a surface. Luminance (cd/m²) measures light emitted or reflected from a surface toward the viewer. A bright screen has high luminance; a well-lit desk has high illuminance.
What is a lambert?
A lambert is a CGS unit of luminance equal to approximately 3,183 cd/m². It assumes perfectly diffuse (Lambertian) reflection or emission. The millilambert (1/1000 lambert) is more commonly used.
How bright is 1000 nits?
A 1000-nit display is very bright, suitable for HDR content and outdoor visibility. For comparison, a typical indoor monitor is 250-350 nits, and direct sunlight on a white surface is about 30,000 nits.
Metric Conversion Factor Tables for Luminance - Light Converter
| Units to convert | Multiply By The Number | Convert as Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Candela/sq meter | 0.0001 | Candela/sq centimeter |
| Candela/sq centimeter | 10000 | Candela/sq meter |
| Candela/sq meter | 0.09290304 | Candela/sq foot |
| Candela/sq foot | 10.763910417 | Candela/sq meter |
| Candela/sq meter | 0.00064516 | Candela/sq inch |
| Candela/sq inch | 1550.0031 | Candela/sq meter |
| Candela/sq meter | 0.001 | Kilocandela/sq meter |
| Stilb (sb) | 10000 | Nit (nt) |
| Lambert (L) | 0.3183098862 | Stilb (sb) |
| Lambert (L) | 3183.0988618 | Nit (nt) |
| Lambert (L) | 1000 | Millilambert (mL) |
| Foot-lambert (fL) | 1.0763910417 | Millilambert (mL) |
| Skot | 10000 | Bril |
Luminance - Lightconverters & it's abbreviations
| Unit | Abbreviation | Unit | Abbreviation | Unit | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| candela/square meter | cd/m² | candela/square centimeter | cd/cm² | candela/square foot | cd/ft² |
| candela/square inch | cd/in² | kilocandela/square meter | kcd/m² | stilb | sb |
| lambert | L | millilambert | mL | foot-lambert | fL |
| apostilb | - | blondel | - | bril | - |
| skot | - |
Complete list of Luminance - Light conversion units and its conversion.
- 1 candela/square meter = 0.0001 candela/square centimeter
candela per sq m to candela per sq cm → - 1 candela/square centimeter = 10000 candela/square meter
candela per sq cm to candela per sq m → - 1 candela/square meter = 0.09290304 candela/square foot
candela per sq m to candela per sq ft →
- 1 candela/square meter = 0.001 kilocandela/square meter
candela per sq m to kilocandela per sq m → - 1 kilocandela/square meter = 1000 candela/square meter
kilocandela per sq m to candela per sq m → - 1 stilb [sb] = 10000 nit [nt]
stilb to nit →
- 1 lambert = 1000 millilambert
lambert to millilambert → - 1 foot-lambert = 1.0763910417 millilambert
ft lambert to lambert → - 1 skot = 0.000092903 foot-lambert
skot to nit →
- 1 candela/square foot = 10.763910417 candela/square meter
candela per sq ft to candela per sq m → - 1 candela/square meter = 0.00064516 candela/square inch
candela per sq m to candela per sq in → - 1 candela/square inch = 1550.0031 candela/square meter
candela per sq in to candela per sq m →
- 1 nit [nt] = 0.0001 stilb [sb]
nit to stilb → - 1 lambert = 0.3183098862 stilb
lambert to stilb → - 1 lambert = 3183.0988618 nit
lambert to nit →
- 1 skot = 10000 bril
skot to bril →