Protanopic observers show nearly normal color constancy with natural reflectance spectra (original) (raw)

Color constancy in natural scenes with and without an explicit illuminant cue

Observers can generally make reliable judgments of surface color in natural scenes despite changes in an illuminant that is out of view. This ability has sometimes been attributed to observers' estimating the spectral properties of the illuminant in order to compensate for its effects. To test this hypothesis, two surface-color-matching experiments were performed with images of natural scenes obtained from high-resolution hyperspectral images. In the first experiment, the sky illuminating the scene was directly visible to the observer, and its color was manipulated. In the second experiment, a large gray sphere was introduced into the scene so that its illumination by the sun and sky was also directly visible to the observer, and the color of that illumination was manipulated. Although the degree of color constancy varied across this and other variations of the images, there was no reliable effect of illuminant color. Even when the sky was eliminated from view, color constancy did not worsen. Judging surface color in natural scenes seems to be independent of an explicit illuminant cue.

Anomalous trichromats' judgments of surface color in natural scenes under different daylights

Visual Neuroscience, 2006

Deuteranomalous trichromacy, which affects medium-wavelength-sensitive cones, is more common than protanomalous trichromacy, which affects long-wavelength-sensitive cones. The aim of the present work was to test the extent to which these two kinds of anomalous trichromacy affect surface-color judgments in the natural world. Simulations of 18 natural scenes under different daylight illuminants were presented on a high-resolution color monitor to 7 deuteranomalous, 7 protanomalous, and 12 normal trichromatic observers, who had to discriminate between reflectance and illuminant changes in the images. Observers' ability to judge surface color was quantified by a standard color-constancy index. Deuteranomalous trichromats performed as well as normal trichromats, but protanomalous trichromats performed more poorly than both. The results are considered in relation to the spectral coverage of cones, rod intrusion, and the characterization of anomalous trichromacy by the Rayleigh match.

Role of remote adaptation in perceived subjective color

Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 1997

Light adaptation to illumination that is presented peripherally changes the subjective color of a central Benham disk stimulus. In our experiments we kept the peripheral illumination achromatic and remote (not even adjacent to the test stimulus). Using a high-frame-rate monitor, we produced the subjective color stimulus, to our knowledge for the first time, on a computer screen in emulation of the Benham disk programs. The resulting changes in the perceived subjective color were as follows: (1) Remote adapting illumination caused a dramatic shift in the perceived subjective color with a span from red to green; (2) there was a trade-off dependence between the area and the intensity of the remote adapting illumination with respect to the perceived color of the test stimulus; (3) the effect of the remote adaptation showed no interocular interaction. This finding suggests that the effect is elicited from a low-level stage in the visual pathway. In addition, we were able to approximate experimentally the spatial profile of the contribution of the remote illumination through the shift in the perceived color. We also found an opposite general trend of color shifts that occurred when either the central stimulus luminance or the remote illumination was increased. A suggested model for the reversed color shifts trend is discussed.

How temporal cues can aid colour constancy

Colour constancy assessed by asymmetric simultaneous colour matching usually reveals limited levels of performance in the unadapted eye. Yet observed can readily discriminate illuminant changes on a scene front changes in the spectral reflectances of the surfaces making up the scene. This ability is probably based on judgments of relational colour constancy, in turn based on the physical stability of spatial ratios of cone excitations under illuminant changes. Evidence is presented suggesting that the ability to detect violations in relational colour constancy depends on, temporal transient cues. Because colour constancy and relational colour constancy are closely connected, it should be possible to improve estimates of colour constancy by introducing similar transient cues into the matching task. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was performed in which observers made surface-colour matches between patterns presented in the same position in an alternating sequence with period 2 s or as a control, presented simultaneously, side-by-side. The degree of constancy was significantly higher for sequential presentation, reaching 87% for matches averaged over 20 observers, Temporal cues may offer a useful source of information for making colour-constancy judgments.

Color Perception Within a Chromatic Context: Changes in Red/Green Equilibria Caused by

1992

We measured changes in the color appearance of one light caused by another light presented in a well-separated region. Observers viewed a lo test field superimposed on a 3', 540 or 660 nm adapting field (32 or 320 td). The change in appearance due to noncontiguous light was determined by surrou~ing the 3O adapting field with a continguous 3O i.d., 5' o.d. ring of either 32 or 320 td. The ring was 540,660 nm or achromatic (tungsten-halogen "white"). The test was an admixture of 549 and 660 nm light, and varied from 6 to 1000 td. The observer adjusted the ratio of 549 to 660 nm test light so the test appeared neither reddish nor greenish. A 540 or 660 nm ring had a chromatic inducing effect on the small test that mimicked a simple surround contiguous with the test. Results with an achromatic ring were more complex: an isolated achromatic ring (no adapting field present) had virtually no effect on the color appearance of the test, but the same achromatic ring surrounding a chromatic adapting field shifted the test toward the color appearance of the adapting light (e.g. introducing a 'khite" ring surrounding a "green" adapting field shifted the test toward greenness). A thin ~nciI-width band of "white" light su~~rn~~ on a larger 5* adapting field had an effect similar to a "white" 3-5O ring. These results demonstrate (1) strong effects of the remote noncontiguous lights and (2) that the change in color appearance they cause is not a simple function of only the light in the noncontinguous region. The change depends on other lights in view. The visual processes revealed in these experiments are considered in terms of inferred illumination and surface reflectances of objects in natural scenes.

Perceived surface color in binocularly-viewed scenes with two light sources differing in chromaticity

2004

We examined the effect of perceived orientation on the perceived color of matte surfaces in rendered three-dimensional scenes illuminated by a blue diffuse light and a yellow punctate light. On each trial, observers first adjusted the color of a matte test patch, placed near the center of the scene, until it appeared achromatic, and then estimated its orientation by adjusting a monocular gradient probe. The orientation of the test patch was varied from trial to trial by the experimental program, effectively varying the chromaticity of the light mixture from the two light sources that would be absorbed and reemitted by a neutral test patch. We found that observers' achromatic settings varied with perceived orientation but that observers only partially discounted orientation in making achromatic settings. We developed an equivalent illuminant model for our task in which we assumed that observers discount orientation using possibly erroneous estimates of the chromaticities of the light sources and/or their spatial distribution. We found that the observers' failures could be explained by two factors: errors in estimating the direction to the punctate light source and errors in estimating the chromaticities of the two light sources. We discuss the pattern of errors in estimating these factors across observers.

Discrimination of illumination and reflectance changes on color constancy

Electronics and Communications in Japan Part Iii-fundamental Electronic Science, 2000

Human perception of the color of physical surfaces is practically not affected by changes in illumination. This phenomenon is called color constancy. Based on results of previous psychophysical experiments, it has been established that there are two types of color perception: apparent color and surface color. It has also been suggested that unless there is a complete adaptation to the illuminant, color constancy can be achieved only with respect to the surface color. Computational models of color constancy boil down to problems of estimation of reflectance of the observed object based on the magnitude of the sensory response, and duality of color perception has not been adequately addressed in previous studies. This study was undertaken for the purpose of making clear the characteristics of the two types of color perception (apparent color and surface color). The experimental technique used in this study was based on the detection of changes of illuminance and reflectance for the purposes of determination of the effect of the surround stimulus on color perception, rather than on conventional color matching technique. The results of the study indicate that the surround stimulus exhibits an inhibitive influence on the color perception of the center stimulus, and the effect of the size and spatial structure of the surround stimulus is different with respect to the apparent color and the surface color. It was also demonstrated that results of the experiments can be explained by a hypothesis of a hierarchical structure of the vision system combining two different types of color perception. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 3, 83(11): 4355, 2000

Reflectance, illumination, and appearance in color constancy

Frontiers in Psychology, 2014

We studied color constancy using a pair of identical 3-D Color Mondrian displays. We viewed one 3-D Mondrian in nearly uniform illumination, and the other in directional, nonuniform illumination. We used the three dimensional structures to modulate the light falling on the painted surfaces. The 3-D structures in the displays were a matching set of wooden blocks. Across Mondrian displays, each corresponding facet had the same paint on its surface. We used only 6 chromatic, and 5 achromatic paints applied to 104 block facets. The 3-D blocks add shadows and multiple reflections not found in flat Mondrians. Both 3-D Mondrians were viewed simultaneously, side-by-side. We used two techniques to measure correlation of appearance with surface reflectance. First, observers made magnitude estimates of changes in the appearances of identical reflectances. Second, an author painted a watercolor of the 3-D Mondrians. The watercolor's reflectances quantified the changes in appearances. While constancy generalizations about illumination and reflectance hold for flat Mondrians, they do not for 3-D Mondrians. A constant paint does not exhibit perfect color constancy, but rather shows significant shifts in lightness, hue and chroma in response to the structure in the nonuniform illumination. Color appearance depends on the spatial information in both the illumination and the reflectances of objects. The spatial information of the quanta catch from the array of retinal receptors generates sensations that have variable correlation with surface reflectance. Models of appearance in humans need to calculate the departures from perfect constancy measured here. This article provides a dataset of measurements of color appearances for computational models of sensation.

Effect of luminance on color perception of protanopes

Vision Research, 1998

Small-field color-naming performance of two protanopes over a 4-log luminance range was impoverished in comparison with that of normal trichromats, and was more strongly affected by changes in luminance. At 200 cd/m 2 responses to mid-spectral lights were dominated by 'yellow'; with lowering luminance, 'green' and 'red' were increasingly used. In the color spaces derived from these data the first two dimensions for trichromats are red-green and yellow-blue; those of the protanopes appear to be brightness and 'red-blue'. In the protanopes' color space the greater separation of stimuli at 0.2 cd/m 2 suggests that with low luminance their color discrimination improves.

Misidentifying illuminant changes in natural scenes due to failures in relational colour constancy

Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2023

The colours of surfaces in a scene may not appear constant with a change in the colour of the illumination. Yet even when colour constancy fails, human observers can usually discriminate changes in lighting from changes in surface reflecting properties. This operational ability has been attributed to the constancy of perceived colour relations between surfaces under illuminant changes, in turn based on approximately invariant spatial ratios of cone photoreceptor excitations. Natural deviations in these ratios may, however, lead to illuminant changes being misidentified. The aim of this work was to test whether such misidentifications occur with natural scenes and whether they are due to failures in relational colour constancy. Pairs of scene images from hyperspectral data were presented side-by-side on a computer-controlled display. On one side, the scene underwent illuminant changes and on the other side, it underwent the same changes but with images corrected for any residual deviations in spatial ratios. Observers systematically misidentified the corrected images as being due to illuminant changes. The frequency of errors increased with the size of the deviations, which were closely correlated with the estimated failures in relational colour constancy.