A planar‐vector based color space for graphic arts color analysis and reproduction

Abstract

AbstractA new color space is developed, based on a model of a trigonally symmetric, planar arrangement of three response vectors, which first separates a visual stimulus via tristimulus values into achromatic and chromatic components and then recombines them. Because three visual response vectors are mutually opposed, the model is called the mutually opposed, trichromatic response (MOTR) model. The MOTR model does not introduce any new visual concepts but rather uses established concepts in an empirically different way. The MOTR model directly represents a color as a combination of two chromatic primaries and one achromatic primary. It is, therefore, particularly useful for halftone color reproduction based on two primary colors plus black, sometimes referred to as 100% GCR (gray component replacement). It is useful also because of its linearity properties between lightness and the chromatic and achromatic contents. The MOTR model's color space is applicable to existing color‐order systems and provides a graphic representation often better than CIELAB and CIELUV do. The MOTR model is also consistent with many known visual characteristics such as unique hues, illuminant adaptation, wavelength discrimination, and defective color vision. The model as described herein is limited to the comparison of related colors under a given photopic luminance.