Understanding Digital Color Imaging and Processing

Extract

Color and Color Perception

Accurate color reproduction is an essential component in the effective use of digital imaging techniques in light microscopy. The color reproduction process begins with an understanding that color is the result of three key elements; light, the illuminated object, and the observation method. When light strikes an object, wavelengths may be reflected, absorbed or transmitted. Additionally, the observed colors are strongly influenced by the intensity of the illumination and its spectral content. Colors we think of as “white” can vary significantly in their spectral distribution, e.g., skylight is actually a bluish white while tungsten bulbs produce a yellowish white.

Light waves that reach the eye stimulate a complex process that is not yet fully understood. Within the retina, three different types of cones respond to color hues and brightness while rods sense only brightness.