A Colour Design Tool Based on Empirical Studies

A colour design tool targeted at both unskilled consumers and professional designers is currently under development, on the basis of psychophysical studies into semantic associations of colour, the cultural influences and colour harmony. From experimental results for single-colour associations, 3 underlying factors were identified: “warm-cool”, “heavy-light” and “active-passive”, which were found to agree well with those identified by earlier research. For colour-combination associations, an “additive property” of colour association was discovered: the semantic score of a colour combination can be determined by averaging semantic scores of each constituent colour in that combination. According to the experimental results, there were 4 general patterns of colour harmony: similarity in hue and chroma, difference in lightness, high lightness and the hue effects. While the proposed colour design tool is still in its development stage and has a number of shortcomings, the system is believed to provide practical assistance and support not only for unskilled users but also for designers. Keywords: colour design; colour harmony; colour association; cross-cultural study; e-shopping; colour decision-making; design process; psychophysical method</p

Colour Design for Carton-Packed Fruit Juice Packages

The present research studies the relationships between observers’ expectations for 7 fruit juice packages and the colour design of the package. To do this, a two-stage experiment was conducted. At the first stage, we studied perceived colours for the fruit images shown on each package. At the second stage, fruit juice packages with 20 package colours were rated using 5 bipolar scales: colour harmony, preference, freshness, naturalness and product quality. The experimental results show that the observers tended to perceive fruit image colours lighter and more saturated than those measured using colour measuring instruments. Using factor analyses, we classified the 5 bipolar scales into 2 factors: Product Preference and Freshness. Package colour design was found to have significant impacts on both factors: similarity in chroma and hue between package colour and perceived fruit colour would lead to high product expectations. Keywords: colour design; colour harmony; product expectation; perceived image colour</p

ブドウ‘マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア’に対する潅水制限が樹体の水分，葉温，果実温，果実の全フェノール含量，果皮色に及ぼす影響

　Effects of different deficit irrigation strategies on vine water status, canopy and cluster temperatures, fruit total phenolics, and the color of white table grapes (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Muscat of Alexandria) were compared to a well-irrigated control in 2004 from veraison to harvest at the Okayama University Experimental Vineyard, Japan. The treatments included: (1) well-irrigated control: re-irrigation when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa; (2) regulated deficit irrigation (RDI): re-irrigation 4 to 7 days after reaching a soil moisture tension of 15 kPa; (3) fixed partial root-zone wetting (FPRW): one part of the root system was re-irrigated when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa; and (4) alternate partial root-zone wetting (APRW): one part of the root system was re-irrigated when the soil moisture tension reached 15 kPa, and every week the irrigated part was switched. As the stress developed in RDI vines, leaf water potential and transpiration rate decreased and canopy and cluster temperatures increased as compared with the control. In contrast, both FPRW and APRW vines had similar leaf water potential and canopy and cluster temperatures, but less leaf transpiration rate as compared with the control. At harvest, fruits from all treatments had higher skin total phenolics and CIELAB a＊ values than the control. RDI fruit had higher total soluble solids (TSS), a similar acidity, and smaller size compared with the control. FPRW and APRW fruits had slightly higher TSS, lower acidity, and a similar size compared with the control.ベレゾーン期から収穫期までの潅水制限処理が‘マスカット・オブ・アレキサンドリア’ブドウ（Vitis vinifera L｡）の水分条件，葉温，果実温，果実の全フェノール，果皮色に及ぼす影響を，十分に潅水した樹と比較した．実験は2004年に岡山大学農学部内の実験圃場で行った．処理区は，１) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達したときに潅水する対照区，２) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達してから４～７日後に潅水する制限潅水区，３) 土壌水分張力が15kPa に達したときに根域の半分に潅水する片側潅水区，４) 片側潅水する根域部分を１週間ごとに変更する交互潅水区とした．制限潅水区では水分ストレスが強まるにつれて葉の水ポテンシャルと蒸散速度が対照区よりも低下し，果実温が高くなった．しかし，片側潅水区と交互潅水区では，葉の水ポテンシャルと葉温，果実温は対照区と同程度で，蒸散速度が低下した．収穫期の果皮の全フェノールと CIELAB a＊ 値は，潅水を制限した各区では標準区より高かった．制限潅水区の果実は，標準区より糖度が高く，酸度は低く，果粒は小さかった．片側潅水区，交互潅水区では糖度がやや高く，酸度は低く，果粒の大きさは同程度であった

Color naming reflects both perceptual structure and communicative need

Gibson et al. (2017) argued that color naming is shaped by patterns of communicative need. In support of this claim, they showed that color naming systems across languages support more precise communication about warm colors than cool colors, and that the objects we talk about tend to be warm-colored rather than cool-colored. Here, we present new analyses that alter this picture. We show that greater communicative precision for warm than for cool colors, and greater communicative need, may both be explained by perceptual structure. However, using an information-theoretic analysis, we also show that color naming across languages bears signs of communicative need beyond what would be predicted by perceptual structure alone. We conclude that color naming is shaped both by perceptual structure, as has traditionally been argued, and by patterns of communicative need, as argued by Gibson et al. - although for reasons other than those they advanced

Redefining A in RGBA: Towards a Standard for Graphical 3D Printing

Advances in multimaterial 3D printing have the potential to reproduce various visual appearance attributes of an object in addition to its shape. Since many existing 3D file formats encode color and translucency by RGBA textures mapped to 3D shapes, RGBA information is particularly important for practical applications. In contrast to color (encoded by RGB), which is specified by the object's reflectance, selected viewing conditions and a standard observer, translucency (encoded by A) is neither linked to any measurable physical nor perceptual quantity. Thus, reproducing translucency encoded by A is open for interpretation. In this paper, we propose a rigorous definition for A suitable for use in graphical 3D printing, which is independent of the 3D printing hardware and software, and which links both optical material properties and perceptual uniformity for human observers. By deriving our definition from the absorption and scattering coefficients of virtual homogeneous reference materials with an isotropic phase function, we achieve two important properties. First, a simple adjustment of A is possible, which preserves the translucency appearance if an object is re-scaled for printing. Second, determining the value of A for a real (potentially non-homogeneous) material, can be achieved by minimizing a distance function between light transport measurements of this material and simulated measurements of the reference materials. Such measurements can be conducted by commercial spectrophotometers used in graphic arts. Finally, we conduct visual experiments employing the method of constant stimuli, and derive from them an embedding of A into a nearly perceptually uniform scale of translucency for the reference materials.Comment: 20 pages (incl. appendices), 20 figures. Version with higher quality images: https://cloud-ext.igd.fraunhofer.de/s/pAMH67XjstaNcrF (main article) and https://cloud-ext.igd.fraunhofer.de/s/4rR5bH3FMfNsS5q (appendix). Supplemental material including code: https://cloud-ext.igd.fraunhofer.de/s/9BrZaj5Uh5d0cOU/downloa

Chemical–physical characteristics, polyphenolic content and total antioxidant activity of three Italian-grown pomegranate cultivars

Background In Mediterranean countries, there is an increasing demand for pomegranate fruits due to their antioxidant properties and nutritional values. The large diffusion of new genotypes and cultivars requires the knowledge of all fruit characteristics in connection with the cultivation area, to satisfy the market demand. This study seeks to determine the fruit quality attributes and nutraceutical values of three pomegranate cultivars (Wonderful, Acco and Kamel) grown in the Mediterranean climate. Methods The fruits were evaluated for their main physico-chemical traits (weight, volume, height, width, thickness, total arils number, total arils weight, juiciness, fruit index, peel index and total soluble solids content/titratable acidity ratio), bioactive compounds (total phenolic content and total anthocyanin content) and antioxidant activities (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power). Results: The data showed that Acco fruit is bigger, juicier and sweeter when compared with the cultivars Wonderful and Kamel. Wonderful is the smallest, least juicy and least sweet but the reddest among all the studied cultivars. Regarding the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power), cultivar Wonderful has the highest values and cultivar Acco contains the most anthocyanin content. Conclusions This study showed that pomegranate cultivars grown in the Mediterranean area exhibit an appreciable quality, but there are significant differences in quality properties of the arils and juice

How good are RGB cameras retrieving colors of natural scenes and paintings?—A study based on hyperspectral imaging

RGB digital cameras (RGB) compress the spectral information into a trichromatic system capable of approximately representing the actual colors of objects. Although RGB digital cameras follow the same compression philosophy as the human eye (OBS), the spectral sensitivity is different. To what extent they provide the same chromatic experiences is still an open question, especially with complex images. We addressed this question by comparing the actual colors derived from spectral imaging with those obtained with RGB cameras. The data from hyperspectral imaging of 50 natural scenes and 89 paintings was used to estimate the chromatic differences between OBS and RGB. The corresponding color errors were estimated and analyzed in the color spaces CIELAB (using the color difference formulas ΔE*ab and CIEDE2000), Jzazbz, and iCAM06. In CIELAB the most frequent error (using ΔE*ab) found was 5 for both paintings and natural scenes, a similarity that held for the other spaces tested. In addition, the distribution of errors across the color space shows that the errors are small in the achromatic region and increase with saturation. Overall, the results indicate that the chromatic errors estimated are close to the acceptance error and therefore RGB digital cameras are able to produce quite realistic colors of complex scenarios.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UIDB/04650/2020

Time – intangible tangible –

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Arte e Ciência do VidroTime--how do we understand this notion? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, time is “the measured or measurable period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues,” and also “a non spatial continuum that is measured in terms of events which succeed one another from past through present to future.” This explanation is very general. Everyone knows about “time,” and it has been interpreted and understood in various fields. As time passes, human memory fades little by little. Sometimes, we delete unneeded memories as we see fit, or perhaps under certain circumstances we will remember certain memories more vividly. The human life and its relationship to time are ephemeral and therefore nothing can take their place from a philosophical point of view. Consequently, each and every moment is a brightly shining and precious entity. From my point of view, the feeling of being in love is a perfect example of the idea of this ephemeral relationship to time. With the passage of time feelings might grow deeper and deeper, or on the other hand, the memory of love may fade for better or worse. For me, the color red is the most suitable color for expressing time. Red in many objects is a fugitive color under environmental influences. I suppose that I consider red as a symbol of time by subjective methods within my own sensations. As such, conducting science experiments on fading are essential for understanding objectively. Through a process of objective experiments on fading and subjective experiments in art making, I set out to make the intangible tangible, and thereby substantiate my feelings

Print engine color management using customer image content

The production of quality color prints requires that color accuracy and reproducibility be maintained to within very tight tolerances when transferred to different media. Variations in the printing process commonly produce color shifts that result in poor color reproduction. The primary function of a color management system is maintaining color quality and consistency. Currently these systems are tuned in the factory by printing a large set of test color patches, measuring them, and making necessary adjustments. This time-consuming procedure should be repeated as needed once the printer leaves the factory. In this work, a color management system that compensates for print color shifts in real-time using feedback from an in-line full-width sensor is proposed. Instead of printing test patches, this novel attempt at color management utilizes the output pixels already rendered in production pages, for a continuous printer characterization. The printed pages are scanned in-line and the results are utilized to update the process by which colorimetric image content is translated into engine specific color separations (e.g. CIELAB-\u3eCMYK). The proposed system provides a means to perform automatic printer characterization, by simply printing a set of images that cover the gamut of the printer. Moreover, all of the color conversion features currently utilized in production systems (such as Gray Component Replacement, Gamut Mapping, and Color Smoothing) can be achieved with the proposed system