Illuminating Colour Constancy: from Physics to Photography
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Institute of Neuroscience
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Anya Hurlbert (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Brainard DH
(2015)
Colour Vision: Understanding #TheDress.
in Current biology : CB
Cranwell MB
(2015)
Performance on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test Is Significantly Related to Nonverbal IQ.
in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
Finlayson G
(2014)
On calculating metamer sets for spectrally tunable LED illuminators.
in Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, image science, and vision
Finlayson G.D.
(2011)
Root-polynomial colour correction
in Final Program and Proceedings - IS and T/SID Color Imaging Conference
Finlayson GD
(2015)
Color correction using root-polynomial regression.
in IEEE transactions on image processing : a publication of the IEEE Signal Processing Society
Hurlbert A
(2014)
Colour Constancy in Immersive Viewing
in Journal of Vision
Michal Mackiewicz (Author)
(2012)
Spectrally tunable LED illuminator for vision research
Pearce B
(2012)
Colour Constancy by Illumination Matching in Real World Scenes
in Journal of Vision
| Title | Making Colour Exhibition |
| Description | Interactive installation on colour perception, as part of "Making Colour", the summer exhibition at the National Gallery, 2014. The installation demonstrated the use of spectrally tuneable illumination for enhancing the perception of artworks. It also illustrated the principles of human colour perception. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The installation received wide press coverage. It also helped to motivate the first Museum Lighting Symposium and Workshops, held in London, September 2017. |
| URL | http://research.ng-london.org.uk/scientific/makingcolour/vids/MakingColour-Experiment-NG2014.mp4 |
| Description | This project, Illuminating Colour Constancy: from Physics to Photography, examined colour constancy from the joined perspectives of human and computer vision. Colour constancy is the phenomenon of human vision which enables people to perceive stable surface colours despite changes in the prevailing light colour. Colour constancy is a fundamental cornerstone of perception, and hence is of deep interest to a large research community, from visual neuroscience and psychology to graphics and computer vision. But it poses an important engineering problem for the design of devices that produce colour images -- in many domains, from digital cameras, television, remote sensing, displays, printing and industrial inspection - and for the design of lighting in many settings, from museum and retail displays to the home and office. Given the ubiquity of colour images in everyday life, used for professional, commercial, and personal purposes to convey information on a variety of levels, it is clear that colour constancy is also a vital feature of everyday life. The enormous interest in #thedress, the internet phenomenon in which people disagreed over the colour of a dress photographed under ambiguous lighting, demonstrates the impact of colour constancy - and its failure. Our aims in this project were first, to gain a better understanding of the extent of human colour constancy in real-world conditions, or, in other words, to understand the ways in which human colour constancy is imperfect; and second, to make better algorithms for colour constancy, by better matching human perception. Our main achievements and developments in this project are: 1. The design and deployment of a novel method for measuring human colour constancy in real-world conditions, using real scenes and real illuminations. We have shown that this method - the illumination discrimination task - yields robust results in both laboratory experiments (with small numbers of participants) and mass public settings (with thousands of participants). 2. The discovery that colour constancy in humans is better for certain illuminations than others. In particular, the human visual system is optimised for colour constancy under illumination changes that occur along the "daylight locus", the set of chromaticities that describe the natural variation of daylight. Specifically, colour constancy in humans is best for illuminations that vary in the "blue" direction. 3. The discovery that people show a "blue bias" in assessing subjective "white-points" in real scenes, both indoors in relatively low-power lighting conditions, and outdoors in high-power natural daylight. 4. The technical innovation of using tuneable multi-channel LED technology to probe human visual perception and to tailor illuminations for different settings in real-world applications. In particular we developed an accurate method for generating illumination spectra produced by tuneable multi-channel LED lamps, which enables the optimisation of the spectra to match different desired characteristics, for example, either the chromaticity or shape of the spectral power distribution, including its smoothness or deviation from natural daylight. This method of "illumination metamer generation" now underlies several new programmes of research. |
| Exploitation Route | To improve the design and generation of illumination spectral power distributions for different settings, in particular for optimising the colour appearance of objects such as artworks in museums or food products in retail displays. To enhance the use of tuneable LED technology in different settings, from museums and shops to the home and office. To improve automatic colour correction algorithms for digital images. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/staff/profile/anyahurlbert.html#research |
| Description | The new behavioural paradigm and methods for generating changing illuminations in real-time with tuneable multi-channel LED technology formed the basis of and were directly deployed in a multi-media interactive installation on human colour perception, shown as an integral part of the National Gallery's 2014 exhibition 'Making Colour', the first in Britain to chart the 700-year material history of colour. The multi-media installation took the visiting public beyond the scientific and historical examination of materials used by artists to create colour and involved them in an understanding of how the human brain itself creates colour through visual perception. An interactive exhibit introduced visitors to the complex mechanisms by which our brains perceive and interpret colour, via a film drawing its content from human biology, neuroscience, psychology and physiology. The audience further contributed to a live interactive perceptual experiment, which not only illustrated the scientific concepts but also contributed to continuing academic research in this important field. The installation at the National Gallery was additionally funded by a People award from the Wellcome Trust. Further details:A custom installation was successfully constructed within the National Gallery Sainsbury Wing small cinema as the final room of the 2014 Making Colour exhibition. This installation was composed of a specially produced short film, two custom produced art works and a set of computer controlled spectrally tuneable light sources. The short film introduced the fundamental principles of how humans perceive colour, from the eye to brain. Interlaced within the film were a set of perceptual experiments, using the pair of displayed artworks illuminated by spectrally tuneable light sources (LEDMOTIVE/HI-LED). The experiments enabled the audience to partake in experimental measurements of colour perception, in particular colour constancy and illumination preference. These experimental paradgims were first developed and tested in the laboratory in the initial phases of the EPSRC-funded project "Illuminating Colour Constancy". They required precisely timed pre-programmed changes in illumination delivered by the tuneable light sources, which also provided the sole illumination in the cinema. A voice-over instructed the audience to input their responses via electronic clickers attached to the cinema seats. The audience responded to questions including "What colour is the object?" and "Which illumination do you prefer?" in reference to two versions of Gauguin's Bowl of Fruit and Tankard before a Window, one a contemporary painted copy and the other a 12-ink print. Of the 65,000 visitors to Making Colour, at least 1 in 6 took part in the interactive exhibit, recording their responses to 5 main experimental questions. The results from this massive data collection, together with the original film and a recording of the actual experiments, will be posted on the National Gallery website in 2016. The exhibition received extensive media coverage, in print, online and on radio, with the interactive installation called "clever" (The Economist), "one to watch" (artlyst), and "cutting-edge" (the BBC). The impact of this interactive demonstration to an international audience in a highly public venue is both economic and cultural. The economic impact is via the demonstration of energy-efficient LED technology for use in museums and other public venues. The cultural impact is via the demonstration of technological innovation to achieve new perspectives on cultural artifacts. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Economic |
| Description | (DyViTo) - DyViTo: Dynamics in Vision and Touch - the look and feel of stuff |
| Amount | € 2,834,979 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 765121 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | EU FP7 ICT STREP |
| Amount | € 3,500,000 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | 619912 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | 12/2013 |
| End | 09/2016 |
| Description | Collaboration with Brainard Lab |
| Organisation | University of Pennsylvania |
| Department | School of Arts and Sciences |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | The collaboration involves exchange of research ideas, techniques, and analysis, from both sides. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The collaboration involves exchange of research ideas, techniques, and analysis, from both sides. |
| Impact | Radonjic´, A., Pearce, B., Aston, S., Krieger, A., Dubin, H., Cottaris, N. P., Brainard, D. H., & Hurlbert, A. C. (2016). Illumination discrimination in real and simulated scenes. Journal of Vision, 16(11):2, 1-18, doi:10.1167/16.11.2. Brainard, David H and Hurlbert, Anya C. (2015) Colour Vision: Understanding #TheDress. Current Biology 25 (13):R551-4. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | EU FP7 HI-LED (ICT STREP Award) Consortium |
| Organisation | Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Contributions to the application of smart lighting for human health and performance. Demonstration of effects of varying spectral power distribution of illumination on mood, cognition, alertness, perception and physiological function. Expertise in behavioural and psychophysical studies; in spectroradiometry, colorimetry and visual perception; neuroscience and biomedicine. Contributions included training of postdoctoral staff, access to behavioural and psychophysical testing facilities, and collaborations with other partners including the National Gallery. |
| Collaborator Contribution | HI-LED partners and their contributions include: IREC (Barcelona) - development of multi-channel LED spectrally tuneable light engine University of Pannonia - assessment of spectrally tuneable illumination for museum lighting University of Wageningen - improving plant growth and nutrient content by spectrally tuning the illumination IRTA - improving plant growth and nutrient content by spectrally tuning the illumination LPI - optical design of lamps Fraunhofer - design of light engines Hortilux - improving plant growth and nutrient content by spectrally tuning the illumination |
| Impact | Outputs include (1) Interactive installation and exhibit as part of Making Colour, the summer 2014 exhibition at the National Gallery; (2) conference presentations and proceedings papers on the visual and non-visual effects of spectral variations in light; (3) other publications in preparation. The collaboration is multi-disciplinary, involving: photonics and optics; horticulture; conservation science; lighting technology; neuroscience, biomedicine, and visual perception. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | National Gallery |
| Organisation | National Gallery, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration in creating and delivering public exhibition at the National Gallery. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaboration in design, installation and running of interactive film and experiment as part of Making Colour exhibition. |
| Impact | Outputs are in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | BBC Spectrum of Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Explanation and demonstrations of colour constancy, in episode 3 of "Colour: The Spectrum of Science", shown on BBC Four, 2015 (and repeated in 2016). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/dcGXtCmtyklClYgYgJHKG9/is-the-colour-you-see-the-same-as-th... |
| Description | Centre for Life Public Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture on colour perception |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.life.org.uk/news/renowned-neuroscience-professor-at-life |
| Description | Making Colour Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The summer exhibition was attended by over 60,000 individuals from the UK and abroad. Most of these will have visited our particular exhibit in the exhibition. This exhibit presented a short film on colour perception and on the novel use of tuneable LED illumination. It included interactive experiments designed to examine aspects of colour perception. Approx 11,000 individuals contributed complete data sets to the experiments, which we are now analysing and will publish both on the website and in journals. Also associated with this exhibition were several talks including one to ~300 individuals. Embedded in the interactive experiment were questions which assessed knowledge and interest in the topic; the data from these are being analysed. Media coverage of the exhibit was extensive. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/jun/17/making-colour-review-national-gallery http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/exhibitions/making-colour-national-gallery--exhibition-review-9555847.html http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/07/making-colour-national-gallery http://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/2014/07/17/making-colour-national-gallery/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046kybtInternet, etc http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27884975 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cbbefc5a-fc37-11e3-98b8-00144feab7de.html#axzz3GssJ6X1m http://www.luxreview.com/news/365/national-gallery-tests-how-leds-affect-colour-perception http://www.commercial-lamps.co.uk/news/news/national-gallery-tests-how-leds-affect-colour-perception/ http://light-bulbs-direct.co.uk/2014/07/21/the-national-gallery-tests-how-light-affects-art/ http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n14/charles-hope/at-the-national-gallery http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/10908737/Making-Colour-National-Gallery-review-a-welcome-refresher.html http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/02c01722-f542-11e3-afd3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3GssJ6X1m |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| URL | http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/making-colour |
| Description | Public lecture, St Cuthbert's Society, Durham. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture on colour perception, and more generally the human behavioural responses to variations in light spectra, followed by a discussion period with questions ranging from the technical (how to generate the light spectra) to the general, in both art and biology. Audience ranged from the lay public to postgraduate and undergraduate students and Fellows from different disciplines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.dur.ac.uk/st-cuthberts.society/eventspage/lectures/ |
| Description | Richard Gregory Memorial Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public lecture on colour perception. Demonstration of effects of spectrally tuneable lighting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2015/october/richard-gregory-memorial-lecture.html |