The LLAB model for quantifying colour appearance

A reliable colour appearance model is desired by industry to achieve high colour fidelity between images produced using a range of different imaging devices. The aim of this study was to derive a reliable colour appearance model capable of predicting the change of perceived attributes of colour appearance under a wide range of media/viewing conditions. The research was divided into three parts: characterising imaging devices, conducting a psychophysical experiment, and developing a colour appearance model. Various imaging devices were characterised including a graphic art scanner, a Cromalin proofing system, an IRIS ink jet printer, and a Barco Calibrator. For the former three devices, each colour is described by four primaries: cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K). Three set of characterisation samples (120 and 31 black printer, and cube data sets) were produced and measured for deriving and testing the printing characterisation models. Four black printer algorithms (BPA), were derived. Each included both forward and reverse processes. A 2nd BPA printing model taking into account additivity failure, grey component replacement (GCR) algorithm gave the most accurate prediction to the characterisation data set than the other BPA models. The PLCC (Piecewise Linear interpolation assuming Constant Chromaticity coordinates) monitor model was also implemented to characterise the Barco monitor. The psychophysical experiment was conducted to compare Cromalin hardcopy images viewed in a viewing cabinet and softcopy images presented on a monitor under a wide range of illuminants (white points) including: D93, D65, D50 and A. Two scaling methods: category judgement and paired comparison, were employed by viewing a pair of images. Three classes of colour models were evaluated: uniform colour spaces, colour appearance models and chromatic adaptation transforms. Six images were selected and processed via each colour model. The results indicated that the BFD chromatic transform gave the most accurate predictions of the visual results. Finally, a colour appearance model, LLAB, was developed. It is a combination of the BFD chromatic transform and a modified version of CIELAB uniform colour space to fit the LUTCRI Colour Appearance Data previously accumulated. The form of the LLAB model is much simpler and its performance is more precise to fit experimental data than those of the other models

High-fidelity colour reproduction for high-dynamic-range imaging

The aim of this thesis is to develop a colour reproduction system for high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging. Classical colour reproduction systems fail to reproduce HDR images because current characterisation methods and colour appearance models fail to cover the dynamic range of luminance present in HDR images. HDR tone-mapping algorithms have been developed to reproduce HDR images on low-dynamic-range media such as LCD displays. However, most of these models have only considered luminance compression from a photographic point of view and have not explicitly taken into account colour appearance. Motivated by the idea to bridge the gap between crossmedia colour reproduction and HDR imaging, this thesis investigates the fundamentals and the infrastructure of cross-media colour reproduction. It restructures cross-media colour reproduction with respect to HDR imaging, and develops a novel cross-media colour reproduction system for HDR imaging. First, our HDR characterisation method enables us to measure HDR radiance values to a high accuracy that rivals spectroradiometers. Second, our colour appearance model enables us to predict human colour perception under high luminance levels. We first built a high-luminance display in order to establish a controllable high-luminance viewing environment. We conducted a psychophysical experiment on this display device to measure perceptual colour attributes. A novel numerical model for colour appearance was derived from our experimental data, which covers the full working range of the human visual system. Our appearance model predicts colour and luminance attributes under high luminance levels. In particular, our model predicts perceived lightness and colourfulness to a significantly higher accuracy than other appearance models. Finally, a complete colour reproduction pipeline is proposed using our novel HDR characterisation and colour appearance models. Results indicate that our reproduction system outperforms other reproduction methods with statistical significance. Our colour reproduction system provides high-fidelity colour reproduction for HDR imaging, and successfully bridges the gap between cross-media colour reproduction and HDR imaging

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 141)

This special bibliography lists 267 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in April 1975

Spectrally Based Material Color Equivalency: Modeling and Manipulation

A spectrally based normalization methodology (Wpt normalization) for linearly transforming cone excitations or sensor values (sensor excitations) to a representation that preserves the perceptive concepts of lightness, chroma and hue is proposed resulting in a color space with the axes labeled W , p, t. Wpt (pronounced “Waypoint ) has been demonstrated to be an effective material color equivalency space that provides the basis for defining Material Adjustment Transforms that predict the changes in sensor excitations of material spectral reflectance colors due to variations in observer or illuminant. This is contrasted with Chromatic Adaptation Transforms that predict color appearance as defined by corresponding color experiments. Material color equivalency as provided by Wpt and Wpt normalization forms the underlying foundation of this doctoral research. A perceptually uniform material color equivalency space (“Waypoint Lab or WLab) was developed that represents a non-linear transformation of Wpt coordinates, and Euclidean WLab distances were found to not be statistically different from ∆E⋆94 and ∆E00 color differences. Sets of Wpt coordinates for variations in reflectance, illumination, or observers were used to form the basis of defining Wpt shift manifolds. WLab distances of corresponding points within or between these manifolds were utilized to define metrics for color inconstancy, metamerism, observer rendering, illuminant rendering, and differences in observing conditions. Spectral estimation and manipulation strategies are presented that preserve various aspects of “Wpt shift potential as represented by changes in Wpt shift manifolds. Two methods were explored for estimating Wpt normalization matrices based upon direct utilization of sensor excitations, and the use of a Wpt based Material Adjustment Transform to convert Cone Fundamentals to ”XYZ-like Color Matching Functions was investigated and contrasted with other methods such as direct regression and prediction of a common color matching primaries. Finally, linear relationships between Wpt and spectral reflectances were utilized to develop approaches for spectral estimation and spectral manipulation within a general spectral reflectance manipulation framework – thus providing the ability to define and achieve “spectrally preferred color rendering objectives. The presented methods of spectral estimation, spectral manipulation, and material adjustment where utilized to: define spectral reflectances for Munsell colors that minimize Wpt shift potential; manipulate spectral reflectances of actual printed characterization data sets to achieve colorimetry of reference printing conditions; and lastly to demonstrate the spectral estimation and manipulation of spectral reflectances using images and spectrally based profiles within an iccMAX color management workflow

Achromatic perception in color image displays

The perception of achromatic colors is an important aspect of CRT color appearance. Achromatic colors are important for practical reasons such as image color balance and as fundamental components of chromatic adaptation and color constancy research. Data on achromatic colors is absolutely essential for applying CIE colorimetry to CRT-hardcopy matching. For example, the CIELAB formulas require the specification of the tristimulus values of white. Unfortunately, psychophysical data on the perception of achromatic colors, including white, in CRT-hardcopy matching situations is not readily available in the literature. The purpose of this research was to investigate factors that affect the perception of achromatic colors in CRT and hardcopy images viewed in a desktop environment. Four psychophysical experiments were performed in this research. In these experiments, three observers made judgements of achromatic colors on a CRT monitor and in hardcopy images in isolated and matching situations. The color of image balance and ambient illumination in the laboratory was varied between 2700K tungsten and 6000K daylight-fluorescent. The results show that chromatic adaptation was controlled almost totally by the CRT image. Adaptation to tungsten was found to be incomplete. When adaptation was incomplete, the chromaticities of achromatic color judgements fell into two categories similar to Bartleson\u27s type I and II, where type II show higher color constancy. Judgements were more likely to be of type II when surface color attributes were present in the CRT image and when the observers were instructed to consider the CRT colors in surface mode. When the images contained more illuminant attributes, the results resembled type I. Hardcopy always produced type II results

Colour Communication Within Different Languages

For computational methods aiming to reproduce colour names that are meaningful to speakers of different languages, the mapping between perceptual and linguistic aspects of colour is a problem of central information processing. This thesis advances the field of computational colour communication within different languages in five main directions. First, we show that web-based experimental methodologies offer considerable advantages in obtaining a large number of colour naming responses in British and American English, Greek, Russian, Thai and Turkish. We continue with the application of machine learning methods to discover criteria in linguistic, behavioural and geometric features of colour names that distinguish classes of colours. We show that primary colour terms do not form a coherent class, whilst achromatic and basic classes do. We then propose and evaluate a computational model trained by human responses in the online experiment to automate the assignment of colour names in different languages across the full three-dimensional colour gamut. Fourth, we determine for the first time the location of colour names within a physiologically-based cone excitation space through an unconstrained colour naming experiment using a calibrated monitor under controlled viewing conditions. We show a good correspondence between online and offline datasets; and confirm the validity of both experimental methodologies for estimating colour naming functions in laboratory and real-world monitor settings. Finally, we present a novel information theoretic measure, called dispensability, for colour categories that predicts a gradual scale of basicness across languages from both web- and laboratory- based unconstrained colour naming datasets. As a result, this thesis contributes experimental and computational methodologies towards the development of multilingual colour communication schemes

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, (supplement 154), May 1976

This bibliography lists 253 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in April 1976

Colorimetric tolerances of various digital image displays

Visual experiments on four displays (two LCD, one CRT and hardcopy) were conducted to determine colorimetric tolerances of images systematically altered via three different transfer curves. The curves used were: Sigmoidal compression in L*, linear reduction in C*, and additive rotations in hab. More than 30 observers judged the detectability of these alterations on three pictorial images for each display. Standard probit analysis was then used to determine the detection thresholds for the alterations. It was found that the detection thresholds on LCD\u27s were similar or lower than for the CRT\u27s in this type of experiment. Summarizing pixel-by-pixel image differences using the 90th percentile color difference in E*ab was shown to be more consistent than similar measures in E94 and a prototype E2000. It was also shown that using the 90th percentile difference was more consistent than the average pixel wise difference. Furthermore, SCIELAB pre-filtering was shown to have little to no effect on the results of this experiment since only global color-changes were applied and no spatial alterations were used

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 127, April 1974

This special bibliography lists 279 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in March 1974