The Study of Colour Reproduction by Computation and Experiment

Colour reproduction changes caused by changes in the elements of a colour photographic system can be predicted by computational methods. Typical computations are outlined with the aid of a simple model of a colour photographic system. Colour preference information is required to predict correctly the desirability of a computed change in colour reproduction. The preferred reproduction of an object colour depends on the viewer’s adaptation. It is believed that, by a combination of adaptation measurements and colour preference measurements, the optimum reproduction of several important colours can be specified. An experiment in which adaptation measurements were used to determine the preferred reproduction of flesh colour is described.