The (I,I − K) CMDs obtained from Starfinder photometry of simulated MICADO/MAORY images for 5 different surface brightness (μ_V) levels. The top left hand corner is the original input CMD, without any errors. Included on each panel are the isochrones which represent the mean of the properties of each distinct stellar population, namely Z = 0.001; 10 Gyr old and Z = 0.004; 6 Gyr old. The highest surface brightness (μ_V = 17 mag/arcsec²) is equivalent to a distance of  ~5 arcsec from the centre of a typical elliptical galaxy in Virgo (e.g., NGC 4472), whereas the lowest (μ_V = 21 mag/arcsec²) is at a distance of  ~75 arcsec from the centre.