Psychophysical determination of boundaries and smoothness of color gradients.

Color gradients constitute an important component in the evaluation of the color quality of multicolored patterns that contain color transitions. A two-part psychophysical study was designed and employed to test the appearance of a set of hue-, chroma-, or lightness-based color gradients. The influence of several parameters on the visual determination of gradients' boundaries and perceived smoothness was tested. These parameters included gradient type, e.g., transitions based on hue, chroma, lightness or their combination, orientation, slope, and quantization step size of color transitions. The influence of these parameters on intra- and interobserver variability in responses was calculated using the standardized residual sum of squares metric. In the first part of the experiment, the perceived boundaries of color gradient stimuli as well as observer confidence ratings in performing these visual tasks were determined. In the second part, the perceived smoothness ratings of the stimuli and visual confidence ratings in assessments were examined. Four binary color transition images, i.e., brown-green, brown-tan, green-olive, and light sage-olive, were generated. Three different linear-gradient slopes were applied to each transition, and each stimulus was shown to observers, separately, in four orientations: horizontal, vertical, right diagonal, and left diagonal. Results indicate that the gradient slopes influence perceived boundaries and smoothness ratings. When determining smoothness ratings, observers were found to be more tolerant to changes in chroma and lightness than in hue.

Unique hue stimulus selection using Munsell color chips under different chroma levels and illumination conditions.

To determine the role of chroma and illumination conditions on assessments of unique hue stimuli (UHs: Y, B, R, and G) 25 color normal observers selected Munsell color chips under controlled but different light sources that included simulated D65 daylight, incandescent (A), CWF and TL84, from two rotatable trays-one containing low and the other high chroma samples. Three independent evaluations were obtained from each observer with a gap of at least 24 h between assessments. A total of 2400 UH assessments were thus obtained. The mean, as well as the range and variability, in UH selections was calculated according to gender, illumination condition, and chroma. Results show statistically significant differences for uB and uR stimuli selections from the low to the high chroma sets under all lighting conditions, and for uY under light source A and CWF while differences in uG selections in different lighting conditions were statistically insignificant. No significant difference was found between male and female UH selections. Hue shift predictions based on CAT02 transform were found to agree well with observer responses under different illumination conditions. It was also found that observers' UH choices varied more for low chroma samples under different lighting conditions compared to high chroma samples. The highest variability was obtained under light source CWF, while the simulated D65 source resulted in the lowest variability in selections.

Determining the colorimetric attributes of multicolored materials based on a global correction and unsupervised image segmentation method.

Fast and accurate measurement of colors in multicolored prints using commercial instruments or existing computer vision systems remains a challenge due to limitations in image segmentation methods and the size and complexity of the colored patterns. To determine the colorimetric attributes (L*a*b*) of multicolored materials, an approach based on global color correction and an effective unsupervised image segmentation is presented. The colorimetric attributes of all patches in a ColorChecker chart were measured spectrophotometrically, and an image of the chart was also captured. Images were segmented using a modified Chan-Vese method, and the sRGB values of each patch were extracted and then transformed into L*a*b* values. In order to optimize the transformation process, the performance of 10 models was examined by minimizing the average color differences between measured and calculated colorimetric values. To assess the performance of the model, a set of printed samples was employed and the color differences between the predicted and measured L*a*b* values of samples were compared. The results show that the modified Chan-Vese method, with suitable settings, generates satisfactory segmentation of the printed images with mean and maximum ΔE00 values of 2.43 and 4.28 between measured and calculated values.

Effect of field view size and lighting on unique-hue selection using Natural Color System object colors.

The aim of this study was twofold, first to determine the effect of field view size and second of illumination conditions on the selection of unique hue samples (UHs: R, Y, G and B) from two rotatable trays, each containing forty highly chromatic Natural Color System (NCS) samples, on one tray corresponding to 1.4° and on the other to 5.7° field of view size. UH selections were made by 25 color-normal observers who repeated assessments three times with a gap of at least 24h between trials. Observers separately assessed UHs under four illumination conditions simulating illuminants D65, A, F2 and F11. An apparent hue shift (statistically significant for UR) was noted for UH selections at 5.7° field of view compared to those at 1.4°. Observers' overall variability was found to be higher for UH stimuli selections at the larger field of view. Intra-observer variability was found to be approximately 18.7% of inter-observer variability in selection of samples for both sample sizes. The highest intra-observer variability was under simulated illuminant D65, followed by A, F11, and F2.

Comparison of the performance of inverse transformation methods from OSA-UCS to CIEXYZ.

The Optical Society of America's Uniform Color Scales (OSA-UCS) is one of the color spaces that most closely approximate a "true" uniform color space. Different techniques have been used to convert OSA-UCS-based color specification parameters, L, j, and g, to the CIE tristimulus values, X, Y, and Z. However, none of these methods provides a direct method of inverting OSA-UCS to CIEXYZ values. Thus, numerical algorithms, such as the Newton-Raphson method, have been employed to obtain the transformations. The relative low accuracy and long computation time of this method makes it undesirable for practical applications. An artificial neural network (ANN) was employed to convert OSA-UCS to CIEXYZ. Its performance was compared with that of numerical methods. After optimization, ANN gave a better performance with a mean error (ΔEXYZ) of 1.0×10(-4) and a conversion time of less than 1 s for 1891 samples.

Masculinizing effect of background color and cortisol in a flatfish with environmental sex-determination.

Environmental sex-determination (ESD) is the phenomenon by which environmental factors regulate sex-determination, typically occurring during a critical period of early development. Southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) exhibit temperature-dependent sex-determination that appears to be restricted to the presumed XX female genotype with the extremes of temperature, both high and low, skewing sex ratios toward males. In order to evaluate other environmental factors that may influence sex-determination, we investigated the influence of background color and cortisol on sex-determination in southern flounder. Experiments involving three sets of tanks, each painted a different color, were conducted at different temperatures using southern flounder of mixed XX-XY genotype. The studies involved rearing juvenile southern flounder in either black, gray, or blue tanks and sex-determination was assessed by gonadal histology. In both studies, blue tanks showed significant male-biased sex ratios (95 and 75% male) compared with black and gray tanks. The stress corticosteroid cortisol may mediate sex-determining processes associated with environmental variables. Cortisol from the whole body was measured throughout the second experiment and fishes in blue tanks had higher levels of cortisol during the period of sex-determination. These data suggest that background color can be a cue for ESD, with blue acting as a stressor during the period of sex-determination, and ultimately producing male-skewed populations. In a separate study using XX populations of southern flounder, cortisol was applied at 0, 100, or 300 mg/kg of gelatin-coated feed. Fish were fed intermittently prior to, and just through, the period of sex-determination. Levels of gonadal P450 aromatase (cyp19a1) and forkhead transcription factor L2 (FoxL2) messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured by qRT-PCR as markers for differentiation into females. Müllerian-inhibiting substance mRNA was used as a marker of males' gonadal development. Control fish showed female-biased sex ratios approaching 100%, whereas treatment with 100 mg/kg cortisol produced 28.57% females and treatment with 300 mg/kg cortisol produced only 13.33% females. These results suggest that cortisol is a critical mediator of sex-determination in southern flounder by promoting masculinization. This linkage between the endocrine stress axis and conserved sex-determination pathways may provide a mechanism for adaptive modification of sex ratio in a spatially and temporally variable environment.

Factors affecting the whiteness of optically brightened material.

The whiteness of fluorescent white materials is in part due to the absorption of ultraviolet (UV) light and subsequent emission of visible blue light. The UV content of light sources in viewing booths and in spectrophotometers can thus significantly affect the perceived whiteness (PW) and measured sum of reflected and emitted light of fluorescent materials. The effect of UV content on the spectral radiance factor of fluorescent white materials containing different amounts of a fluorescent brightening agent and the subsequent assessment of their PW were evaluated. The UV content of sources in two calibrated viewing booths that simulated D65 and D75 illuminants, separately, was changed by selectively blocking UV emission of the source by approximately 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The radiance spectra of a series of white fabrics were also obtained using a reflectance spectrophotometer at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% UV transmittance. The CIE and Uchida whiteness indices (WIs) were calculated for white samples and compared to perceptual results under varying illumination and UV conditions. Results indicate relatively modest agreement between perceptual assessments of fluorescent samples and whiteness metrics examined. Results also show that when the UV content of sources used in the viewing booths is adjusted to be similar to that used in measurements, improved correlations between perceptual and calculated results are obtained. The CIE WI was found to outperform the Uchida index under both sources.

How well are color components of samples of the Natural Color System estimated?

The aim of this study was to determine how accurately color-normal subjects that have received basic information about, but do not have practical experience with, the Natural Color System (NCS) can estimate the Heringian components of a representative selection of samples. Twenty-five color-normal subjects, taking part in two trials with at least a 24 h gap between assessments, selected four samples representing individual unique hues (uHs) from a set of 40 highly chromatic NCS samples on a rotatable tray. The samples selected for assessment of components were displayed to the subjects who estimated the hue components of 16 high-chroma samples, hue and white/black components of 16 tonal color samples, and three achromatic samples with different blackness values. Variability in selection of samples representing uHs as well as the relationship between the subjects' estimates of unique hue components and the defined values of the system was obtained. It was found that hues alone are easier to correctly estimate than hues together with white and black and that the components of colors of higher chroma are easier to estimate accurately than those of lower chroma. It was also found that, for R and G, the mean uH choices of subjects differed very little from the NCS's R and G, whereas selections for yellow and blue deviated, the former by 1.22 hue steps (slightly greener than G90Y), and the latter by 1.36 hue steps (represented approximately by R85B). This may impact the accuracy of color models that employ NCS unique hues.

Notes on the application of the standardized residual sum of squares index for the assessment of intra- and inter-observer variability in color-difference experiments.

The standardized residual sum of squares index was proposed to examine the significant merit of a given color-difference formula over another with respect to a given set of visual color-difference data [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 24, 1823-1829, 2007]. This index can also be employed to determine intra- and inter-observer variability, although the full complexity of this variability cannot be described by just one number. Appropriate utilization of the standardized residual sum of squares index for the assessment of observer variability is described with a view to encourage its use in future color-difference research. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate that setting the F parameters of the standardized residual sum of squares index to 1 results in a loss of essential properties of the index (for example, symmetry), and is therefore strongly discouraged.

Comparison of naïve and expert subjects in the assessment of small color differences.

Determination of the role of subject experience in the development of accurate color difference formulas is of potentially critical concern. As part of a larger multivariable experiment investigating the minimum inter- and intra-subject variability possible among a set of subjects, a study was conducted to compare the performance of 25 novice versus 25 expert visual assessors for a set of 27 pairs of colored textile samples using a controlled psychophysical method and several statistical techniques including t-test, ANOVA, and Standardized Residual Sum of Squares (STRESS) functions. Experts exhibited approximately 43% higher visual difference ratings than novice subjects when assessing sample pairs having small color differences. In addition, a statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level was found between the judgments made by novice and expert assessors. According to the STRESS function, however, CMC(1:1) and CIEDE2000(1:1) color difference formulas do not show a significant difference in performance when the visual data from either group of subjects are compared.

Perceptual prominence of Hering's chromatic primaries.

Reported are results of an experiment involving perceptual assessment of very large color differences using samples representing approximate mean Hering opponent generic unique hues (guHs) based on subject selections, intermediate hues (iHs) using Munsell samples intermediate between guHs, and pairings of both guHs and iHs with a neutral gray. Sample pairs were assessed by 28 color normal subjects twice, with a gap of at least 24 hours between assessments. Results were calculated for individual subjects and the entire group. The hypothesis was that perceived chromatic differences of Hering's guHs are larger than those of iHs, and this was found to be statistically valid at the 99% confidence level based on a t-test. In addition, gray as a percept was found to have prominence comparable to that of generic unique hues.

Unique-hue stimulus selection using Munsell color chips.

Presented are intra- and inter-observer variability data comparing the unique-hue (UH) selections of sets of males and females, using two different visual experimental procedures incorporating Munsell color chips of varying hue but identical chroma and value. Although 34 of the 40 Munsell hue chips were selected by at least one observer as a UH, selections were generally repeatable. In addition, intra-observer variability represented approximately 15% of inter-observer variability. Also, when only three consecutive Munsell chips were viewed at a time, females showed significantly larger intra-observer variability than males, especially when making unique green selections. However, variability in UH selections was statistically insignificant between males and females when all Munsell chips were viewed simultaneously. No correlation was found between UH selections or intra-observer variability and hue ordering ability.