Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Simon
Judith A. Frost
Color and Appearance Laboratory, Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina 29634-1307
An algorithm for the determination of Munsell Hue munication purposes for those fields in which color plays a
ValuelChroma notation from CIE x, y, Y data has been major role, such as in textiles, plastics, graphic arts, print-
developed. A search-and-interpolation routine is utilized ing, and other areas of applied art. Its further advantage is
that allows for the calculation of accurate Munsell nota- that the Munsell Book ofcolor allows for a convenient visual
tions. This method achieves the speed of less accurate trans- reference for information about the appearance of colored
forms without sacrijicing precision or accuracy. Thus the samples. Although the CIELAB equations and later im-
virtues that have made the Munsell system invaluable in provements such as JPC79 and CMC(1 : c)’ locally give
color-communication applications are made available through greater visual uniformity for small color differences than
conversion of colorimetric data. This algorithm should prove the CIE x, y , Y coordinates, the Munsell system stands alone
to be quite useful when good accuracy is necessary for the as a global visually uniform color order system. Although
description of colored materials. some other color order systems have uniform scales and
visual correlates, the Munsell system is the oldest one and
the most widely used. Unlike the CIELAB and CIELCh
Introduction
parameters, Munsell-system parameters have not been widely
The standard CIE method for obtaining colorimetric data used for color difference, but they could be used just as
from colored samples is through the measurement of re- well if a more convenient method were available for ob-
flectance with a spectrophotometer; the measured values are taining the exact Munsell notation from colorimetric data.
then integrated with the color matching functions of the The importance of the Munsell system as a communi-
standard observer and the spectral power distribution of the cation tool recommends the desirability of being able to
’
irradiating illuminant. To provide for easier communica- convert between CIE colorimetric data derived from mea-
tion, the resulting tristimulus values can then be used to surement and Munsell notation. The task is fairly easy for
calculate CIE chromaticity coordinates, x and y , or the ap- the conversion from Munsell notation to CIE data, based
proximate correlates of lightness, perceived chroma, and on the specification data published by Newhall et a1.6 All
hue that were recommended by the CIE in 1976.2 Alter- that is required is the measurement of a sample with known
natively, any one of several other color coordinate systems Munsell notation with a spectrophotometer or colorimeter,
could be derived for these data’ to aid in interpretation of and the CIE data are obtained by calculation. Unfortunately,
measured reflectance values. The CIE system and most other the more useful conversion from CIE data to Munsell no-
color systems are visually more or less nonuniform, and tation is not so easily accomplished since no mathematical
their numeric designations convey little information about relationship has been found between the two systems that
the color of measured samples or the color difference be- holds true for all samples.
tween pairs of samples. On the other hand, the Munsell
system provides visually uniform spacing and a notation
Earlier Conversion Methods
given in terms of Hue, Value, and Chroma that is indicative
of a specific sample’s appearance. Due to the easily under- The original method recommended by Newhall et a1.6 re-
stood nature of this system, it is often used for color-com- quired that the Munsell Value be first obtained by looking
it up in a table that gave CIE Y versus Munsell Value V.
Then the Hue and Chroma were obtained from graphical
0 1987 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. interpolation of chromaticity coordinates of the Munsell data
1 Read file of calculated sat and ang values f r o m Munsell standard data
1
II n p u t sample CIE x,y.Y data
End
FIG. 2. Flow chart of computer algorithm used to obtain Munsell notation from CIE chromatity and luminance values.
results obtained for each sample from the transform program 1. Colorimetry, Publication No. 15 (E-1.3. I). Bureau Central de la CIE,
and the manual interpolation are given in Table I. Based Paris, 1971.
2. Recommendations for Uniform Color Spaces, Color Difference Equa-
upon the averages of the samples tested, the Hue was es-
tions, Psychometric Color Terms, Supplement No. 2 to CIE Publi-
timated to within 0.24 units and the Chroma to within 0.07 cation 15, Colorimetry, Bureau Central de la CIE, Paris, 1978.
units. The Value was exact. Some of the differences could 3. F. T. Simon, “Color Order,” Chap. 5 in F. Grum and C. J. Bartleson,
be attributed to the graphical computation. The data shown Eds., Volume 2 of Color Measurement, Optical Radiation Measure-
are indicative of the high level of accuracy obtained using ments, Academic Press, New York, 1980, pp. 165-233.
4. R. McDonald, Industrial PassIFail Colour Matching. Part 111-De-
this transformation method.
velopment of a PassIFail Formula for use with Instrumental Mea-
surement of Colour Difference, J. SOC. Dyers Colour. 96, 486-495
( 1980).
Conclusions
5. F. J. J. Clarke, R. McDonald, and B. Rigg, Modification of the JPC79
The accuracy and precision that are required by the many Colour Difference Formula, J. SOC. Dyers Colour. 100, 128-132
applications of Munsell concepts varies over wide ranges. (1984).
6. S . M. Newhall, D. Nickerson, and D. B. Judd, Final report of the
For example, when it is necessary to communicate an ac- 0. S. A. subcommittee on the spacing of the Munsell colors, J Opt.
curate description of a specific color, good precision of SOC. Am. 33, 3 8 5 4 1 8 (1943).
measurement is necessary and the use of a method like that 7. W. C. Rheinboldt and J. P. Menard, Mechanized Conversion of Col-
introduced here is advised for obtaining Munsell notations orimetric Data to Munsell Renotations, J . Opt. Soc. Am. 50, 802-807
( 1960).
from colorimetric data. On the other hand, when descriptive
8. J. F. Alexander, A Scientijc Method for Cataloguing Colored Sam-
color data are sought to express small differences between ples, M. Sc. Thesis, Textile Department, Clemson University, Clem-
pairs of samples, precision is more important than absolute son, South Carolina 1971.
accuracy of colorimetric coordinates, and the L*, C*, and 9. F. T. Simon, ref. 3, pp. 209-210.
H* of CIELAB may be adequate for the calculation. How- 10. Minolta Camera Co., Ltd., Precise Color Communications, Osaka,
ever, it is tempting to point out that it does seem unnecessary Japan, 1984.
11. G. Wyszecki and W. S. Stiles, Color Science, 2nd ed., John Wiley
to settle for less than the best with the low cost of computer and Sons, New York, 1982, pp. 840-861.
memory and the speed of the algorithm that is described 12. H. J. Keegan, Private communication.
here. Although the present specified Munsell system is not 13. D. B. Judd and G. Wyszecki, Color in Business, Science andlndustry,
perfect, it seems to be the best color order system known 3rd ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1975, p. 323.
14. A. E. 0. Munsell, L. L. Sloan, and 1. H. Godlove, Neutral Value
at present. Certain improvements in Hue and Chroma spac-
Scales I, Munsell Neutral Value Scale, J . Opt. SOC. Am. 23, 394-41 1
ing have been developed by in do^'^ and these could easily (1933).
be incorporated into a better Munsell system than is pub- 15. T. Indow, Global color metrics and color-appearance systems, Color
lished at the present time. Res. Appl. 5 , 5-12 (1980).
16. K. L. Kelly and D. B. Judd, Color: Universal Language and Dic-
tionary of Names, Natl. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 440, U.S.
Acknowledgments Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1976.
17. J . A. Frost, A Critical Comparison of Instrumental Shade Sorting
Jose Mendes Lucas assisted the authors in writing the pro- Systems, M. Sc. Thesis, Textile Department, Clemson University,
gram, making adjustments in the algorithm, and solving Clemson, South Carolina, 1986.
some programming details. His help is hereby gratefully
acknowledged. The computer program is given as part of
the M. Sc. thesis of the junior author.”
Received February 20, 1986; accepted October 17, 1986