An aesthetic measurement method for matching colours in product design

Since it is important to know how to evaluate human emotions reflected in the image of a product during the process of product design precisely, a means of evaluating the aesthetic measurement of the image of a product with colour matching is proposed in this article. This method entails a solid visual angle of the subject, the distribution of colour‐area ratios, and colour images as experimental samples for colour matching. The evaluation was conducted based on a formula of the aesthetic measurement of the coloured area. To ensure that the entire practical colour co‐ordinate system was covered, 111 coloured chips were distributed throughout the implementation procedure. The aesthetic measure of colour harmony in this study was calculated based on aesthetic measure theory; moreover, each of the three given images received three symbolic colour combinations before using the fuzzy theory to determine the relationship between the image and the colour combinations of the products. Observers' evaluations of the fuzzy theory and the aesthetic measurement model were then compared, and the results showed that the proposed method succeeded in obtaining a high degree of satisfaction for the top 2 ranked samples in the aesthetic measurement model evaluation and human evaluation. Although only 2 product designs were used as examples for performing the evaluation procedure, the procedure can also be applied to other products.     

Detection and modification of confusing color combinations for red‐green dichromats to achieve a color universal design

Color‐vision deficiency is a relatively common genetic condition, which often leads to the obstruction of necessary information in colored images. It is important to minimize such inconvenient effects in communication using colored images from a universal design perspective. The universal design principle stipulates that all environments and products should be usable by all people, regardless of age, physical attributes, and ability. This article proposes a method to detect color combinations in a given image that would confuse color dichromats, and suggests a way in which to modify them to make the image easily distinguishable for both normal and dichromatic observers. Confusing color combinations were detected based on a color‐difference calculation using simulations of how the color would appear to dichromats. The confusing colors were then modified based on the minimization of an evaluation function, which was defined as the sum of the degree of confusion and the degree of color change from the original image. Several colored images obtained by the proposed method were compared with the originals by red–green dichromatic observers who judged them to be clearer, thereby confirming that the proposed method was effective for color rendering for universal design. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 203–211, 2008     

Proposal for selecting two‐color combinations with various affections. Part II: Demonstration of the system

The characteristics of the proposed color selection system are shown using several colored figures of two‐color combinations selected by the system. There are four kinds of color feelings in the system, and each feeling is classified into three categories (i.e., high, intermediate, or low). The feelings used are pleasantness, contrast, floridness, and warmth. Users can try the 3⁴ = 81 combinations of feelings by setting the categories for four kinds of feelings. The differences among categories of color feelings are also shown by several colored figures. It is difficult to describe the differences by words. However, it is rather easy to describe by pictures. The proposed color selection system is expected to be a useful tool for assisting color designers. Comments about the proposed system from potential users are reported. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 135–140, 2009     

A quantitative network model for color categorization

To clarify the higher‐order mechanism of human color perception, we measured the color appearances of 78 colored lights by an elemental color‐scaling method and by a categorical color naming method. The colors covered nearly the entire CIE 1931 xy‐chromaticity diagram with three different surrounds. The results showed that firm basic color zones derived by categorical color naming can be mapped with no overlap in an opponent‐color response space. We propose a network model with a threshold selector, maximum selectors, and multiplication units with gain factors to generate the categorical color responses quantitatively from the elemental color responses. The model can predict the categorical color naming results in different surround conditions with no change of parameters. This suggests that a nonlinear color vision mechanism for color categorization exists between the primary visual cortex (V1) and the inferior temporal cortex (IT) in the human brain. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 225–232, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.10060     

Color emotions for multi‐colored images

We investigate the emotional response to colors in ordinary multicolored images. In psychophysical experiments, using both category scaling and interval scaling, observers are asked to judge images using three emotion factors: activity, weight, and heat. The color emotion metric was originally developed for single colors, and later extended to include pairs of colors. The same metric was recently used in image retrieval. The results show that people in general perceive color emotions for multi‐colored images in similar ways, and that observer judgments correlate with the recently proposed method used in image retrieval. The intended usage is in retrieval systems publicly available on the Internet, where both the user and the viewing environment is unknown, which requires novel ways of conducting the psychophysical experiments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 36, 210–221, 2011;     

Transferring the color imagery from an image: A color network model for assisting color combination

In order to transfer the color imagery from an image to another object to generate color schemes, a color network model is proposed. It consists of two subnets: source net for describing the color information of the reference image; target net for demonstrating the target object to be colored. Thus, the problem of reusing features of color patterns is translated into the mapping process from the source net to target net. Four indicators are designed to measure the conformity between the two nets: color sequence, adjacency, concentration, and the subspace size. In the meantime, a comprehensive aesthetic evaluation given by the designer is introduced to search the optimum combination of the four indicators to help generate imagery matching schemes. A prototype system is developed based on CorelDraw as a design tool. The feasibility of the color network model is then verified through a color combination of graphic design task.     

A systematic approach of predicting color preference on the basis of gray relational grade

During the color design process, it is critical to create diversified color schemes for various consumer groups. It is also important to allow members in a design team to brainstorm for creative ideas. A theory of inspecting natural color elements was proposed in this study based on the CIE 1976 (L*,a*,b*) (CIE 1976) color space and the fuzzy c‐means clustering method. A calculation model was built to determine people's preference for colors based on a serialized system. To determine which factors affect the prediction of consumers' preference for a series of products, a gray relational color preference system was used in combination with gray relational grade so that a designer can obtain reasonable prediction results. The proposed system recommends not only the optimal colors for a product but also the optimal color scheme for a series of products.     

汽车企业的颜色管理

随着消费者审美观点的提高,人们对车身外观提出了更高的要求,选用闪光效果更强的颜色,采用更多的同色件来达到外观美观,颜色统一。颜色管理成为汽车企业的一项新课题。     

A comparative analysis of the characteristics and images of costume colors in the traditional plays of Korea,China, and Japan

The purpose of this study was to analyze quantitatively the characteristics and images of costume colors in the traditional plays of Korea, China, and Japan. The study focused on the Korean Masque, Beijing Opera, and Kabuki costume colors based on a selection of 1135 color samples. The collected source data were selected by extracting digital color data by using the Eyedropper Tool of Photoshop 7.0. The RGB color data were transformed to H V/C and the attributes of hue and tone were analyzed. Color images were analyzed with the color image scales of IRI Color Design Institute and Shigenobu Kobayashi to increase the validity of the evaluated images. As a result, the “five element colors (red, yellow, purple–blue (PB), white, and black)” from the theory of “Yin‐Yang Wu‐Xing” were used in the common stage costume colors of the Korean Masque, Beijing Opera, and Kabuki. Red, a preferred Asian color, was used most frequently in the costumes of these three traditional plays. A comparison of the traditional stage costume colors in the three northeast Asian countries revealed a difference in tones rather than in hues. First, the Korean Masque frequently used white in accordance with the tradition of white‐clad people and the cultural view of colors in which natural colors were preferred. Additionally, in the Masque, Koreans used colors based on the theory of Yin‐Yang Wu‐Xing with high‐chroma tones. On the other hand, the Beijing Opera exhibited the gorgeous and strong color images of China, by adopting high‐chroma colors in the Five Element Color: R, Y, PB, white, and black. Last, in the Kabuki costumes, a variety of white, black, dull, light, dark, strong, vivid, deep, bright, and grayish tones played an important role in showing various color images. The costume color images of the traditional plays of the three countries revealed that all shared the use of dynamic, springy/casual, and gorgeous images in the strong contrast of five element colors. Regarding the differences, the Korean Masque exhibited natural images in favor of natural colors, whereas the Kabuki displayed modern, decent/formal images by using dull, dark, and grayish colors. The study results suggested that the three countries commonly used five element colors from the theory of Yin‐Yang Wu‐Xing, but that their color images differed in terms of the tones used and the techniques for color combination. These results reflect that colors in the traditional costumes of the three countries are affected by their cultural codes, thereby representing the characteristics ofcertain peoples and cultural circles. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2011     

Use of gray system theory in product‐color planning

A quantitative evaluation method for the CIE color‐planning activity within the product design cycle is proposed in this article. The questionnaire‐based process that is traditionally employed to obtain objective color psychology tends to be time‐consuming. Accordingly, this study proposes the use of gray system theory to overcome this problem. In the CIE color system, colors are defined by three primary colors, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Using these three principal hues with fixed equigap sequences to simulate specific basic color samples is an efficient means of investigating unicolor images on a personal computer. However, a gray relational generating operation can be used to simulate colors beyond these basic samples and to predict the corresponding membership values for semantic words. In addition, the gray clustering operation is introduced to predict the overall color image evaluation of multicolored products. The predicted evaluation results of the gray system theory and a back‐propagation neural network are both compared with experimentally verified results. The results indicate that the gray forecasting model is the more effective means of predicting the image evaluation, and therefore, the method is adopted within the color‐planning activity. Although this study takes the example of the Internet‐aided color planning of a baby walker as a case study, the proposed method can also be used on other products. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 29, 222–231, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.20009     

An intelligent skin‐color capture method based on fuzzy C‐means with applications

Consumer behavior is complicated. In the cosmetic market, personal intuition and fashion trends for color selection are guidelines for consumers. A systematic method for female facial skin‐color classification and an application in the makeup market are proposed in this study. In this article, face recognition with a large number of images is first discussed. Then, an innovative method to capture color at selected points is presented and complexion‐aggregated analysis is performed. This innovative method is an extension of face‐recognition theory. Images in RGB format are converted to CIELAB format during data collection and then Fuzzy C‐means theory is used to cluster and group the data. The results are classified and grouped in Lab value and RGB index. Two programs are created. The first program, “FaceRGB,” captures color automatically from images. The second program, “ColorFCM,” clusters and groups the skin‐color information. The results can be used to assist an expert system in the selection of customized colors during makeup and new‐product development.     

Study of the color characteristics of residential buildings in Shanghai

In 2018, Shanghai launched a campaign to renovate the façade of old residential areas. With the renovation of the façade of these residential buildings, problems such as chaotic colors, dull colors, and strongly conflicting colors of walls have increasingly occurred. In this article, the color data of building samples were obtained by field investigation and the color attribute grading evaluation of residential buildings was carried out by introducing evaluation factors; thus, the evaluation results of these buildings were finally obtained. Based on the analysis of the quantity and proportion of each color attribute at different evaluation levels, the color characteristics of residential buildings in Shanghai were finally summarized. Overall, Shanghai residential buildings are “warm colored” in hue, “bright” in lightness, and “partial white” in chromaticness. The research results provide theoretical support for the forward‐looking and scientific nature of color planning for residential buildings in the future and can serve as a reference for the selection of the main colors of building walls.     

Automatic detection of layout of color yarns of yarn‐dyed fabric. Part 3: Double‐system‐Mélange color fabrics

Automat layout detection of color yarns is necessary for weaving and producing processes of yarn‐dyed fabrics. This study presents a novel approach to inspect the layout of color yarns of double‐system‐mélange color fabrics automatically, which is Part III of the series of studies to develop a computer vision‐based system for automatic inspection of color yarn layout for yarn‐dyed fabrics. The inspection of single‐system‐mélange color fabrics has been realized in Part I of the series of studies. Integrating the projection‐based region segmentation method proposed in Part I and the FCM‐based stepwise classification method proposed in Part II, the proposed approach is composed of three steps: (1) fabric region segmentation, (2) fabric region selection, and (3) layout of color yarns recognition. In the first step, the fabric regions are segmented by the projection‐based region segmentation method. In the second step, the reasonable fabric regions are selected by analyzing their color histograms and comparing their weft color's frequency. In the third step, the layout of color yarn is recognized by the FCM‐based stepwise classification method, and the precise layouts of color warps and wefts are produced. The experimental analysis proved that the proposed method can recognize the layout of color yarns of double‐system‐mélange color fabrics correctly by testing four different color fabrics and three pieces of same yarn‐dyed fabrics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 42, 250–260, 2017     

热敏打印技术及热敏染料在彩色影像输出中的应用

全彩色热敏打印由于具有影像质量高、使用方便、利于环保等优点,成为彩色影像输出技术领域的发展方向。荧烷化合物具有在熔点下从无色到有色的互变结构,可通过变换取代基,得到黄、品、青系列染料,成为应用在热敏彩色影像输出技术中的主要染料类型。     

Towards automation of color/weave selection in Jacquard design: Model verification

Jacquard woven fabrics are made from colored yarns and different weaves for designing complex pictorial and other patterning effects. The final visualized color effect is the result of assigning weave designs to different areas of the pattern to be created. The current practice in creating Jacquard woven fabric designs is to produce many samples in a trial‐and‐error attempt to match artwork colors. An ability to simulate accurately the appearance of a design prior to manufacture is highly desirable to reduce trial‐and‐error sample production. No automated accurate digital color methodology is yet available to assist designers in matching the patterned woven fabric to the desired artwork. To achieve this, we developed a geometrical model to predict the color contribution of each yarn on the face of the fabric. The geometrical model combined with a Kubelka‐Munk based color mixing model allowed the prediction of the reflectance properties of the final color for a given design. We compared the predicted and experimental values of the reflectance properties for a range of fabrics using the same geometric model with three separate color mixing models. The geometrical model combined with a log‐based color mixing model produced reasonable agreement between predicted and measured ΔE_ab, with an average ΔE_ab of approximately five. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 225–232, 2009     

Color selection in the consideration of color harmony for interior design

A color selection method that considers subjective principles is becoming more and more necessary in a computer‐based color management system. However, one from an engineering perspective has received limited attention. Previously, we developed an approach to measure the degree of color harmony by the similarity of a pleasure‐related function, CLD (color linguistic distribution), to a RHD (reference harmony distribution) on a one‐dimensional image scale of EXCITING–CALM. Following this approach, a new color selection system is presented in this article by modulating the CLD on the image scale. The procedure used is to encode an inharmonious image as a CLD, then it is modulated and referred to as a RHD, called an imagery specification. Finally, the specified CLD is decoded and reconstructed as a harmonious image in an operated color space. Four types of RHD are compared: three ideal fuzzy sets scaled to extremely calm, quite calm, and slightly calm, and the practical one measured from social trends. For verification, the harmony grade of the decoded image can be measured based on the referred RHD. As a result, four times the harmonic degree of the decoded image is gained than the originally encoded one. For application purposes, the proposed system is suitable for applications related to human subjectivity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 25, 20–31, 2000     

某车型车身面漆色差分析

随着轿车市场竞争的日趋激烈,用户对轿车的品质要求越来越高,顾客不仅仅关注轿车的安全性、舒适性、防腐性能等,而且对轿车产品外观质量也变得越来越挑剔,要求车身与外装饰件（前后保险杠、外后视镜、车门外拉手、外装饰条）目视无色差。本文重点介绍影响色差的几个重要因素,以及在现场生产过程中油漆车身色差的控制方法。     

Complementary colors theory of color vision: Physiology,color mixture,color constancy and color perception

I describe complementary colors' physiology and functional roles in color vision, in a three‐stage theory (receptor, opponent color, and complementary color stages). 40 specific roles include the complementary structuring of: S and L cones, opponent single cells, cardinal directions, hue cycle structure, hue constancy, trichromatic color mixture, additive/subtractive primaries, two unique hues, color mixture space, uniform hue difference, lightness‐, saturation‐, and wavelength/hue‐discrimination, spectral sensitivity, chromatic adaptation, metamerism, chromatic induction, Helson‐Judd effect, colored shadows, color rendering, warm‐cool colors, brilliance, color harmony, Aristotle's flight of colors, white‐black responsivity, Helmholtz‐Kohlrausch effect, rainbows/halos/glories, dichromatism, spectral‐sharpening, and trimodality of functions (RGB peaks, CMY troughs whose complementarism adapts functions to illuminant). The 40 specific roles fall into 3 general roles: color mixture, color constancy, and color perception. Complementarism evidently structures much of the visual process. Its physiology is evident in complementarism of cones, and opponent single cells in retina, LGN, and cortex. Genetics show our first cones were S and L, which are complementary in daylight D65, giving a standard white to aid chromatic adaptation. M cone later split from L to oppose the nonspectral (red and purple) hues mixed from S+L. Response curves and wavelength peaks of cones L, S, and (S+L), M, closely resemble, and lead to, those of opponent‐color chromatic responses y, b, and r, g, a bimodal system whose summation gives spectral‐sharpened trimodal complementarism (RGB peaks, CMY troughs). Spectral sharpening demands a post‐receptoral, post‐opponent‐colors location, hence a third stage. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2011