COLOUR

&
VISION
 COLOUR & VISION
• THE REFLECTED LIGHT FROM AN OBJECT GIVES RISE TO A
VISUAL SENSATION & IF THIS REFLECTED LIGHT HAS
DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTH THAN IT WILL PRODUCE COLOUR.

• THE COLOURS ARE SEPARATELY IDENTIFIED DUE TO THEIR

DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTHS.

• HUMAN EYE IS A POWERFUL & MAGNIFIED INSTRUMENT WHICH

CAN CARRY COLOUR SENSATION TO THE BRAIN DUE TO
DIFFERENT WAVE LENGTH.

• THE COLOUR HAS THREE PROPERTIES:-

• HUE
• CHROMA
• VALUE
 COLOUR & VISION
HUE

• HUE IS DETERMINED BY THE WAVE LENGTH BECAUSE EACH

WAVE LENGTH PRODUCES A DEFINITE COLOUR ON RETINA OF
THE EYE.

• THE LARGEST WAVE LENGTH CREATING THE RED COLOUR &

THE SHORTEST WAVE LENGTH IS CREATING VIOLET COLOUR.

• IN THE SAME WAY THE INTERMEDIATE WAVE LENGTHS IN

BETWEEN THESE TWO COLOURS REPRESENT OTHER
COLOURS.
 COLOUR & VISION
CHROMA

• CHROMA IS THE INTENSITY OF THE COLOUR.

• IF COLOUR HAS MORE INTENSITY IT MEANS THE COLOUR HAS

MORE CHROMA.

VALUE

• VALUE IS DEFINED AS AN AMOUNT OF ENERGY RECEIVED BY

THE EYE.
• IN VISUAL TERM IT IS DETERMINED BY THE AMOUNT OF
BLACKNESS OR WHITENESS IN THAT COLOUR.
• THE VALUE OF BLACKNESS OR WHITENESS OF THE COLOUR
WILL GIVE MORE COLOURS OF THE DIFFERENT TONNEL
VALUES.
 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Primary colors

What are the primary colors?

 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Primary colors

Red Green Blue

 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Primary colors

What makes them primary?

 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Primary colors

• Every color (hue) can be created by

blending light of the three primary colors
in differing proportions
 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Primary colors

• Every color (hue) can be created by

blending light of the three primary colors in
differing proportions

• Led to prediction that there must be three

(and only three) distinct color receptor types
 Color Vision
Perceiving Color
• Four absorption peaks in retina: 3 cone types plus
rods
Absorption/Cone response
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue” Blue

“Green”

“Red”
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue”

“Green” Green

“Red”
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue”

“Green”

“Red” Red
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue”

Equal Parts
“Green” Red and
Green =
Yellow

“Red”
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue”

Equal Parts
“Green” Red and
Green =
Yellow

“Red”
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Wavelength Input Cone Signal to Brain

“Blue”

Equal Parts
“Green” Red and
Green =
Yellow

“Red”
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Trichromatic theory of color vision:

– brain interprets the relative amounts of
signaling from each of these cone types
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Trichromatic theory of color vision:

– brain interprets the relative amounts of
signaling from each of these cone types
• This means that some colors can be
matched by a pair of wavelengths
– metamers: colors that have no definite
single wavelength (e.g. yellow)
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory
• Trichromatic theory of color vision:
– brain interprets the relative amounts of signaling from
each of these cone types
• This means that some colors can be matched by
a pair of wavelengths
– metamers: colors that have no definite single
wavelength (e.g. yellow)
• This also means that any color can be matched
by mixing (not more than) three different
wavelengths
• use color sliders to adjust R,G,B values
• What color can only exist as a metamer
(an additive mixture of wavelengths)?
In other words, what color cannot be
made with a single wavelength?
• What color can only exist as a metamer
(an additive mixture of wavelengths)?
In other words, what color cannot be
made with a single wavelength?
Magenta
Think about why!
 Color
Theories of Vision
Color Vision
• Trichromatic Theory can explain some
aspects of colorblindness:
– most of us are trichromats
– someone missing one of the three cone
types is a dichromate
– someone missing two is a monochromate
– someone missing all cone types is called a
rod monochromate (very poor vision!)
 Color
Theories of Vision
Color Vision
• Trichromatic Theory can explain some aspects of
colorblindness:

– dichromate's have only two primaries: any color they can

see can be matched with differing proportions of the two
wavelengths to which they are sensitive
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Trichromatic Theory can explain some aspects of

colorblindness:

– dichromate have only two primaries: any color they can see
can be matched with differing proportions of the two
wavelengths to which they are sensitive

– most common is deuteranopia (~3% of men, <1% of women)

- missing “green” cones
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Trichromatic Theory can explain some aspects of

colorblindness:

– dichromats have only two primaries: any color they can see
can be matched with differing proportions of the two
wavelengths to which they are sensitive

– most common is deuteranopia (~3% of men, <1% of women)

- missing “green” cones

– cannot see color difference between reds and greens - but

they can see luminance difference
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Ishihara Color Plates

can indicate color
blindness
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

DON’T DO THIS !

…~3% of male readers will have trouble seeing it!

 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

But this is OK.

 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

So is this.
 Color
Theories of Color Vision
Vision: Trichromatic Theory

Even this is good.

 Theories of Color Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Problem with Trichromatic Theory:

 Theories of Color Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Problem with Trichromatic Theory:

YELLOW
 Theories of Color Vision: Trichromatic Theory

• Problem with Trichromatic Theory:

– most people categorize colors into four primaries:
red, yellow, green, and blue

– some colors simply cannot be perceived as

gradations of each other
• redish green !?
• blueish yellow !?

– It is as if these colors are opposites

 Color Vision
Wavelength and Color
• White light is a mixture of wavelengths
– prisms decompose white light into assorted
wavelengths
– OR recompose a spectrum into white light
• Additive vs. Subtractive

There are two different ways to mix colors.

• Additive vs. Subtractive

What do you get if you use a prism to combine

all wavelengths of light?
• Additive vs. Subtractive

What do you get if you use a prism to combine

all wavelengths of light?
• Additive vs. Subtractive

What do you get if you mix a bunch of paint?

• Additive vs. Subtractive

What do you get if you mix a bunch of paint?

• Additive vs. Subtractive
 • Additive mixing is most intuitive:
ADD wavelengths:

red+green = yellow
red+blue = magenta
blue+green = cyan
red+green+blue=white
• Subtractive mixing is much less intuitive
(but much more common)
• Subtractive mixing happens when we
mix pigments (paint) together
• Different pigments subtract different
wavelengths:
– red subtracts all but red, blue all but blue,
green subtracts blue and red, etc…
• Example: blue + yellow = green

Technically it’s called “cyan”

 • The result of a mixture depends on what wavelengths don’t get
absorbed by the two pigments
Amount of reflection

blue green yellow red

wavelength
 • Both yellow and blue pigments reflect a bit of green
Amount of reflection

blue green yellow red

wavelength
• Subtractive mixing is commonly used in
color printers
• Everything you’ve learned so far is
wrong.
• Everything you’ve learned so far is
wrong.

• Well, not really wrong, just far from

complete.
• What color is this box?