AuthorTopic: Tests on Color Theory?  (Read 4202 times)

Offline Lilyo

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Tests on Color Theory?

on: September 17, 2013, 04:21:50 pm
Hello I'm very interested in color theory and was wondering if there's any place that analyzes how the surfaces of specific objects react to reflections and certain kinds of light? I'm interested in doing some graphs for saturation, brightness, and hue for generic objects and learning first hand. I'd do it myself but I don't have a camera or a set up where I could do this, and I'd rather have it in a controlled environment in a studio rather than just somewhere outside where lots of factors could be influencing the outcomes.

Offline Facet

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Re: Tests on Color Theory?

Reply #1 on: September 17, 2013, 08:31:00 pm
It's a nice idea, I can't think of a good photographic one although charting some stuff in 3D rendering software with material presets is a (less satisfying) idea too.

The principles are laid out pretty exhaustively here though (HVC). If you haven't given that a read before, should definitely clue you in to what to look for.

Offline Lilyo

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Re: Tests on Color Theory?

Reply #2 on: September 17, 2013, 08:49:14 pm
Yeah I thought about using a 3D program but any changes to saturation and hue will be predetermined based on how well the surface objects are constructed in the program, so I don't know enough about any one program to trust it to do this experiment. Im gonna see if I can borrow a camera and do it at my school when I have time.

Offline Ai

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Re: Tests on Color Theory?

Reply #3 on: September 17, 2013, 11:28:18 pm
If you're trying to graph these, using LCH colorspace (rather than HSV/HSL/HSB) should improve accuracy WRT actual human color perception a lot. LCH/LAB are designed for perceptual accuracy, whereas HS* are pretty much quick-and-dirty approximations.

(If I were doing this I'd probably use GPick to analyze the colors, since it's a color picking tool that supports these colorspaces.)
If you insist on being pessimistic about your own abilities, consider also being pessimistic about the accuracy of that pessimistic judgement.

Offline Polioliolio

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Re: Tests on Color Theory?

Reply #4 on: September 18, 2013, 02:29:09 pm
I struggle with light and color, and never formally studied it, but I found this book to be a very helpful resource.

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379514468&sr=8-1&keywords=light+and+color

Offline DawnBringer

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Re: Tests on Color Theory?

Reply #5 on: September 18, 2013, 03:37:51 pm
Looks like an interesting read, so I've ordered it (half the price from USA compared to Sweden!)