Harriscolor

Harriscolor was a specialized filtering system for daylight photography, developed by Harris in the 1970s and 1980s—primarily for skin tone correction and subtle color adjustments. Unlike broader gelatin or glass systems (like Roscolux or Lee Filters), Harriscolor focused on a very narrow application: compensating for color casts that occur during exterior shoots with natural light, especially when sunlight hit differently toned skin.

The unique aspect was that Harriscolor filters did not primarily aim to change the light temperature globally—that's what CTB and CTO were for—but could specifically adjust skin tones warmer or cooler without distorting the surroundings. A cinematographer could work with it without having to perform extensive color corrections in post-production grading. The system was modular: several thin filter layers could be combined for fine adjustments. In practice, this meant fewer filters in front of the lens, sharper images, and less light loss.

Harriscolor competed directly with Harmonicolor, a similar proprietary system that served the same niche. However, both systems were expensive and required specialized know-how—not every DoP was familiar with them. With the rise of digital cinematography and modern RAW workflows in the 2000s, Harriscolor quickly lost relevance. Digital cameras capture skin tone information in such detail that on-set color correction became less critical. Additionally, specialized filter sets are harder to store, handle, and standardize than universal filter kits like Roscolux or Lee.

Today, Harriscolor only appears on established broadcasters or in archival documentaries. Those still working with film tend to use proven standard filters or utilize digital color corrections—faster, more flexible, reproducible. Harriscolor remains a relic from a time when on-set lighting planning could not yet be compensated for by grading flexibility. Historically interesting, practically obsolete.