What is chromatic adaptation?
Chromatic adaptation is the ability of the human visual system to adjust itself in response to varying illuminant conditions. In other words, we adapt to the color of the light source in order to better preserve the color of objects. For example, if viewed under incandescent light, white paper has a decidedly yellow cast. However, we have the ability to automatically account for the yellowish light, and we therefore see the paper as white. If you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. It would be a very confusing world if objects were changing color every time the light source changed. From an evolutionary point of view, we still need to know if the fruit is ripe whether it is morning, noon, or evening. Chromatic adaptation makes this possible.
