RGB Colors and Ecological Optics

Jan Koenderink, Andrea van Doorn, Karl Gegenfurtner
2021 Frontiers in Computer Science  
Object color space is highly structured due to optical constraints (radiant power non-negative, reflectance factors between zero and unity) and ecological context (daylight illuminant). In this setting trichromacy induces a natural geometry through a unique spectral tripartition. Different from null-context colorimetry, one gains two desirable relations: The colorimetric coordinates are coarse-grained spectral reflectance factors and there is a direct link to color experiences, since
more » ... ates provide ostensive definitions. The framework allows one to deal with subtractive color mixture, source variation, effects of metamerism and relations between scenes and image data in a unified, structured manner. In ecological contexts, colors are effectively object properties. The formal framework is linear algebra and convex geometry. Applications in human biology, computer graphics, design, etc., are immediate.
doi:10.3389/fcomp.2021.630370 fatcat:kxpmr4rpcndu3ayl4rfgls4cw4