[suzumer]

Mark Fairchild, one of the authors of CIECAM02, recently published a paper that heavily simplified that equation: https://markfairchild.org/PDFs/PAP45.pdf

If the link doesn't work, the paper is called: Brightness, lightness, colorfulness, and chroma in CIECAM02 and CAM16.

Also, if you want a readable introduction to color science, you can check out his book Color Appearance Models.

[jacobolus]

Thanks for the link! To anyone looking for a summary: Fairchild's paper explains the origin and nature of various arbitrary and empirically/theoretically unjustified and computationally expensive complications of CAM16 (from Hunt's models from the 80s–90s via CIECAM02 and CIECAM97s) which were apparently originated as duct-taped workarounds that are no longer relevant but were kept based on inertia. And it proposes alternatives which match empirical data better.

Mark Fairchild is great in general, and anyone wanting to learn about color science should go skim through his book and papers: he does the serious empirical work needed to justify his conclusions, and writes clearly. It was nice to drop by his office and shake his hand a few years ago.

In an email a couple years ago he explained that he had nothing to do with CAM16 specifically because the CIE wouldn't let him on their committees anymore (even as a volunteer advisor) without signing some kind of IP release giving them exclusive rights to any ideas discussed.