All effects of psychophysical variables on color attributes: a classification system

Area of Science:

• Color Science
• Visual Perception
• Psychophysics

Background:

• Color science aims to psychophysically specify color appearance.
• Existing data on psychophysical variable effects on color attributes are often scarce or conflicting.
• Current naming conventions for these effects are inadequate and confusing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a systematic classification and nomenclature for the effects of psychophysical variables on color attributes.
• To analyze and categorize the total range of perceivable effects.
• To provide a rigorous framework for modeling color appearance.

Main Methods:

• Computed effects from combinations of three psychophysical variables (luminance, dominant wavelength, purity) and six color attributes (lightness, brightness, hue, chroma, colorfulness, saturation).
• Considered all modes of appearance.
• Excluded impossible-to-perceive effects (e.g., four- or five-dimensional colors).

Main Results:

• Identified and classified 161 perceivable types of effects across all modes of appearance.
• Proposed a nomenclature system naming effects based on the stimulus and attribute (e.g., Luminance-on-hue effect).
• The system accounts for variations based on experimental parameters.

Conclusions:

• A systematic classification and nomenclature for psychophysical effects on color attributes have been established.
• This system provides a foundation for better understanding and modeling color appearance.
• The proposed nomenclature offers clarity and rigor compared to traditional naming conventions.