Presentation at Color Imaging XV: Displaying, Processing, Hardcopy, and Applications. San Jose, 20 January 2010.

1. Color naming: color scientists do it between
Munsell Sheets of Color
Giordano B. Beretta, Nathan M. Moroney
Print Production Automation Lab
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
Palo Alto, California
Color Imaging XV:
Displaying, Processing, Hardcopy, and Applications
San Jose, 17 – 21 January 2010
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 1 / 15

2. Local vs. global color differences
v’
white yellow
1. 1. 1.
y .98 .92 .65
.53 .73 87 orange
.55 green1. .99 .98
.97 .88 .62
.91.87 .71
.53 .75.88
520 .59.73 .74 .96.98 .98
.57.33 .45 .96 .93
.97 .91 .94
530 .84 .66 .5 .46 A .51 .58.54 .63
0.8 .71 .71 .68
.7 .44 .47
.44 .31.49
.63.78 .81 .63
.59.52 .5
.47 .33.39.61 red
540 .52.41.35
510 .57.56 .44 .56.61.61
B
.33 .45.56 .56 .52 .53.53
Stiles Line Element .43.32.46.56 .47.47
550 aqua .77.63.38.39.56C E .53 D .68 .76 .74
.75.58 peach
Ellipses plotted 3 x .45 .82.65.36.45
.64 .35
.53 .7 .8
.85.87.82.74
560 .45.48 .3
.52.74.81
.69.42 .36 .87 .91.89
0.6 .47.48.28
.33.57.69
.83.92.88 .87
.86
570 .53.64 .5
.38.37.48
500 gray .62 .44 .57 .7
.82.86 .88
.75 .53.35
.56.56.47 .56 pink
580 .68 .72.74
.74.82 .53 .54
.67 .77.59
.35 .48.51.63
590 .9 .84 .48
.7 .83 .8
.72.65 .5
0.4 600
.92.89.53
.82.92 .9 .75.69
610 .98 .9 .52
.83.93 .89
620 .81 purple
490 630 blue .98 .9 .53 .83.94.92
700 .97 .9 .52.91
.95
.25 A = CIE Standard Illuminant A
.96 .91 .6 .84
0.2 .97.92.63
B = CIE Standard Illuminant B
C = CIE Standard Illuminant C
480 .97 .94 D = CIE Standard Illuminant D65
E = equal-energy point
.97
470 u’
0
460 x .15
45
.05 .15 .25 .35 .45
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 David L. Post, 1988
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 2 / 15

3. Where global differences are used
avionics and car navigation
readability of colored text on colored background
variable data publishing
gamut mapping, especially from xvYCC and HDR sources
color communication
“graphic artist in a box” applications
“good enough” color
online print quality control
...
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 3 / 15

4. Bumps in color space
Definition (Categorical Perception)
A categorical perception effect occurs when
1 a set of stimuli ranging along a physical continuum is given one
label on one side of a category boundary and another label on the
other side and
2 the subject can discriminate smaller physical differences between
pairs of stimuli that straddle boundary than between pairs that are
entirely within one category or the other
v’
v’
1. 1. 1.
white yellow
white yellow
.98 .92 .65 .53 orange
1. 1. 1.
.73 87 .91.87
.55 green1. .99 .98 .71.53 .75.88
orange
.97 .88 .62 .96.98 .98.96
.98 .92 .65 .53
.59.73 .74.57 .93
.97 .91 .94 .33 .45
.84 .66 .5 .46.44 A .51 .58.54 .63.59
.73 87 .91
.31.49.63 .52 .5
green 1. .99 .98 .97 .88
.71 .71 .68 .78.81 .63.47
.7 .44 .47.52 .33.39.61 red
.55 .87 .71.53
.41.35.56
.57.56 .44 .61.61.52
B
.33 .45.56 .56 .53.53
.47.47
.75.88 .96
.43.32.46
aqua .77.63.38.39.56C E D
.64.53.35
.56.68 .76
.74.75.58 peach
.62 .59.73 .98 .98.96
.45 .53 .7 .8
.82.65.36.45 .85.87.82.74
.45.48 .3
.74.57.33
.52.74.81.87
.93
.69.42 .36 .91.89 .86
.47.48.28
.97 .91 .94 .45.51 .58
.33.57.69.83
A
.53.64 .5 .92.88.87
.38.37.48.44
gray .62.75
.84 .66 .5 .46 .54 .63.59.52
.57 .7 .82.86
.53.35.56.56
.47 .56.68
.88 pink
.44 .31.49
.72.74
.5
.74.82.53 .54.67
.77.59 .48
.35 .51.63
.63 .78 .81 .63
.9 .84 .48
.71 .71 .68
red
.7 .83 .8
.72.65 .5
.92.89.53
.7 .44 .47 .47 .33.39.61
.82.92 .9 .75.69
.52.41.35
.98 .9 .52
.83.93 .89.81
purple
blue .98 .9 .53 .83.94.92
.57.56 .44 .56.61.61
B .52 .53.53
.97 .9 .52.91
.95
.25
.33 .45.56 .56
.96.91 .6 .84 A = CIE Standard Illuminant A
.97.92.63
.43.32.46 .47.47
B = CIE Standard Illuminant B
aqua .77.63.38.39.56C E
C = CIE Standard Illuminant C
D .56 .68 .76
.97.94 D = CIE Standard Illuminant D65
E = equal-energy point
.74.75.58 peach
.97
u’
.15
.64.53.35
.53 .7 .8
.15 .35 .45
.45
.05 .25
.82 .65.36.45 .85 .87.82.74
David L. Post, 1988
.45.48 .3
.52.74.81
.69.42 .36 .87 .91.89
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) .47.48.28 Side of Color
The Dark .86 EI 2010 paper 7528-30 4 / 15

5. Previous attempts: ISCC–NBS
Munsell Value
black dark gray medium gray light gray white
–ish black dark –ish gray –ish gray light –ish gray –ish white
pale
dark
blackish grayish or very pale
grayish
light grayish
very dark dark moderate light very light
Munsell Chroma
very deep deep strong brilliant
vivid
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 5 / 15

6. Previous attempts: Coloroid by Nemcsics
broken warm white A = 20
cement grey Roman ochre Pompeian yellow
100
90
80
70
60
50 Indian orange
V
40 orange ochre
30 Arsigont
20 brown beige
10
Anatolian brown
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
T
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 6 / 15

7. Previous attempts: World Color Survey
orange
and/or
green yellow
white pink
and red blue brown and/or
black purple
and/or
yellow green
gray
I II III IV V VI VII
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 7 / 15

8. Previous attempts: Zollinger
Häufigkeit
ETH-Zürich grün
60% blau violett
gelb
40% rotorange
rot
20% rosa
braun
purpur
5R 5YR 5Y 5GY 5G 5BG 5B 5PB 5P 5RP
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 8 / 15

9. Previous attempts: Boynton & Olson
g
blue green
grey white
yellow
purple brown
pink
red orange
j
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 9 / 15

10. New attempt: crowd-sourcing
good news: viewing conditions are not critical
Boynton, “Insights gained from naming the OSA colors,” 1997
Olkkonen, Hansen, Gegenfurtner, “Categorical color constancy for
simulated surfaces,” Journal of Vision, 9(12):6, 1-18, 2009
bad news: the categories that arise in the left hemisphere are not
constrained by the pre-linguistic categories that are in the right
hemisphere (Franklin et al., 2008)
900 550
infants within-category adults
initiation time [ms]
initiation time [ms]
between-category
800
within-category 450
between-category
700
350
600
500 250
left right left right
visual field visual field
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 10 / 15

11. ¯ ¯
Zollinger in Tokyo
Häufigkeit
ETH-Zürich grün
60% blau violett
gelb
40% rotorange
rot
20% rosa
braun
purpur
5R 5YR 5Y 5GY 5G 5BG 5B 5PB 5P 5RP
80% TKD-
60%
40%
20%
5R 5YR 5Y 5GY 5G 5BG 5B 5PB 5P 5RP
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 11 / 15

12. Multilingual color naming
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 12 / 15

13. Use a common standard
#EF4123 #007CB0
#848688
#BF1E74
#007CB0
#008F4C
#F89F6D
#F499B8
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 13 / 15

14. Munsell Sheets of Color are a better standard
eliciting color names from actual samples provides a common
standard, which is not available when compiling abstract lists
color names must be anchored
everybody should use the same atlas
. . . but the complete gamut should be used, not just the surface!
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 14 / 15

15. Questions and Discussion
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Giordano_Beretta/
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Nathan_Moroney/
blog: http://mostlycolor.ch
Beretta & Moroney (HP Labs) The Dark Side of Color EI 2010 paper 7528-30 15 / 15