Microfading Tester (MFT)

Описание: This video introduces the microfading tester (MFT)—a powerful conservation tool that helps protect cultural heritage objects by measuring their sensitivity to light.

(To watch this video with subtitles in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, or Spanish click on the “Settings” wheel and select “Subtitles.“)

While light helps us appreciate the beauty of cultural heritage objects, too much of it can cause their colors to deteriorate over time. That’s why understanding an object’s sensitivity to light is essential for its care. One tool conservation professionals use to do this is the microfading tester, or MFT.

The MFT shines a beam of light—smaller than the tip of a pencil and 10 times brighter than the midday sun—onto individual colors on an object’s surface while measuring color change with a spectrometer. Each test is stopped before any visible fading occurs, keeping the object safe.

This data helps predict how an object’s colors will respond to light, informing lighting policies that balance preservation with public access.

Interested in learning more about MFT practice? The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) sponsors a Microfading Tester International Discussion Group (MFT–IDG). Learn more about this group on the MFT–IDG webpage on the AIC website: https://www.culturalheritage.org/grou...

To read about our work on Advancing Microfading Tester Practice, visit: https://gty.art/3FBFpA0

Acknowledgements
Thank you to the following for assistance with translation review: Maral Bedoyan (Arabic); Alexandra Bridarolli (French); Mariam Helmy (Arabic), Miguel Burgos Ruiz (Spanish), and Hongye Wang (Chinese)