Cesia (visual appearance)

Possible spatial distributions of light incident on a surface.
Five basic cesias: black, matte, specular, translucent, and transparent.
Diagram of the order system for cesias.
A scale of cesia: from transparent to opaque (variation of permeability), by mixing clear water and milk.
A scale of cesias from specular to matte (variation of diffusivity), by progressive tarnished of a mirror.
A scale of cesias from transparent to black (variation of darkness), using neutral density filters.

Cesia is the name given to visual appearances related to the perception of different spatial distributions of light. Light radiation that is not absorbed by an object can be reflected or transmitted either diffusely or regularly. These interactions of light with matter are perceived with a greater or lesser degree of gloss (from a mirror to a matte surface, as the extremes), more or less transparent, translucent or opaque, at different levels of darkness (according to the light-dark axis).