Keywords

1 Introduction

Colors play an important role in people’s lives; the colors people interest in also vary. It is generally believed the color preference of people, owing to the different age, sex, nationality, climate, and natural environment. In daily life, almost all the goods is related to color, such as the color display and management in electronic products included television, computer, mobile phone, and color matching application in the clothing and books [1, 2].

Domestic and foreign journalists have done a lot of research on color preferences between different people. The researchers in American CUNY Brooklyn College and Hunter College indicate that men and women have great differences on the vision: Women in the identification of colors are better than men, while the men’s visual advantage is the sensitivity to the details of the distant objects as well as tracking capabilities of fast-moving object tracking [3].

2 Color Matching Experiments

2.1 Test Preparation and Explanation

The light source, which is selected for the experiment, is the F2 and D65 light source whose color temperature is 2700 and 6500 K in the standard light box which is the light environment of the experiment. Choosing color wheel diagram includes 40 color pieces whose color gamut covering most color in NCS chromatogram as the original chromatograph which is shown in Fig. 21.1, and the area of every color piece is 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm. Convenience for later processing, the 40 color pieces are labeled with the number 1–40 clockwise: −Y, −Y10R, −Y20R, −Y30R, −Y40R, −Y50R, −Y60R, −Y70R, −Y80R, −Y90R, −Y30R, −R, −R10B, −R20B, −R30B, −R40B, −R50B, −R60B, −R70B, −R80B, −R90B, −B, −B10G, −B20G, −B30G, −B40G, −B50G, −B60G, −B70G, −B80G, −B90G, −G, −G10Y, −G20Y, −G30Y, −G40Y, −G50Y, −G60Y, −G70Y, −G80Y, −G90Y. The scope of chromatograph we select in this experiment is the part of professional chromatograph printing APP super double-sided coated paper [4]. Using the chromatogram we match the 40 color patches which are labeled before the experiment. If the color gamut coverage range is larger, it can accord with the experimental conditions. Then, Select the X-Rite SP64 integrating sphere spectrophotometer to measure the color patches with matching parameter values.

Fig. 21.1
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NCS color circle

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2.2 The Experimental Process of Visual Color Matching

Choose 33 males and 12 females whose CV parameter values are below 30 % for the experiment observers. A formal visual experiment in the standard light box under the condition of a darkroom [5]. In the experiment, the observer should be 60 cm far from the standard light box. With the geometry angle 0° (lighting)/45° (observation), Each observes colors carefully and then selects the color from the APP super double-sided coated paper chromatography to compare with the 40 colors of the NCS chromatography in the vision matching. In the process of formal visual experiments, the observer is shown in Fig. 21.2. Obtain the color experiment visual matching data of the 45 color normal observers at the end of the experiment.

Fig. 21.2
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Psychophysics experiment

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Requirements are in the F2 and D65, two different light sources, after the end of the experiment on visual color matching, using X-Rite SP64 integrating sphere spectrophotometer to measure the parameter values of the APP special double-sided coated printing paper chromatography color which is chosen to match the 40 colors whose color parameter values are measured and recorded.

Considering the visual data uncertainty degree, analysis of data than of the measuring instruments is more tedious and complicated. Through the analysis of the data, select 10 male observers and 10 female observers experiment data with high reliability of the group to evaluate.

3 Data Processing and Analysis of Results

3.1 Random Sample Data Analysis of an Observer

Using the CIE1976LAB color formula calculate the color difference between the same color under F2 and D65, two kinds of light sources to the observers, and the color difference under the same corresponding light sources between the matching color patches and the standard experimental color sample on NCS Atlas. Obtain three groups of color differences value data at the end of calculation.

The analysis of the graphs in Figs. 21.3, 21.4, and 21.5 shows that it is very obvious that the color match values of the middle part of the NCS GATF are relatively stable to the random observer, but the front part and the rear part of the matching is not particularly satisfactory. And from the first three column chart, it can be seen that the size of the fluctuations in the latter part of the chromatic color difference will obviously too large and the ΔE shows a big jump, suggesting that the observer’s color gamut color sensitivity is not very good to the rear part of the GATF in the color visual matching, resulting in obvious color difference is too large. In addition, in Fig. 21.6, from comparison of color difference among the 3 different types, in a certain color region, the F2/D65 color difference curve was floating on the top of the other two curves. This shows that in the visual color matching experiment, the different light source can affect the color matching. But in the rear part, the F2/D65 color difference curve is obviously lower than the other two kinds of curves, while the other two cases are obviously higher. To a certain extent, the observer is not very sensitive to the color of this range, resulting in a low degree of sensitivity, which affects the matching accuracy of the color.

Fig. 21.3
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Color difference of color patches between the F2 and D65 light sources

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Fig. 21.4
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Color difference of color patches under the F2 light source

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Fig. 21.5
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Color difference of color patches under the D65 light source

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Fig. 21.6
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Comparison of color difference among the 3 different types

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3.2 Difference Comparison and Analysis of Different Gender Color Matching

According to the analysis and comparisons from the charts in Figs. 21.7, 21.8, 21.9, 21.10, 21.11, 21.12, 21.13, and 21.14, it can be seen that male observers cannot match the −Y20R piece well a common phenomenon as well as the −B and −B90G two color piece. But not evident among the female observers and the differences between colors is relatively uniform among them. Male observer data in the rear half fluctuate significantly. This illustrates the male observers who cannot match the rear part of the color wheel well. In Figs. 21.10 and 21.14, the comparison shows that the color difference of color patches between the F2 and D65 light sources is significantly higher, suggesting that illumination has a great influence on the color observation.

Fig. 21.7
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Color difference of color patches between the F2 and D65 light sources (male)

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Fig. 21.8
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Color difference of color patches under the F2 light source (male)

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Fig. 21.9
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Color difference of color patches under the D65 light source (male)

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Fig. 21.10
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Comparison of color difference among the 3 different types (male)

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Fig. 21.11
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Color difference of color patches between the F2 and D65 light sources (female)

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Fig. 21.12
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Color difference of color patches under the F2 light source (female)

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Fig. 21.13
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Color difference of color patches under the D65 light source (female)

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Fig. 21.14
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Comparison of color difference among the 3 different types (female)

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4 Conclusions

Through experiments, women in the identification of colors are better than men. The male observer cannot do well in the recognition, especially the orange red and blue green. But the female observer can be sensitive to match these colors accurately through the visual color matching.