Abstract

The primary data on which uniform color spaces have been based were collected under nearly optimal viewing conditions. Observers foveally scrutinized a pair of adjacent stimuli of moderate size for extended periods. It is common knowledge that many factors such as the spatial and temporal properties of the stimulus and its location in the visual field greatly influence an observers ability to discriminate colors. Some attempts to characterize these variations within existing uniform color spaces have been made (for example, Judd, 1973). However, uniform color spaces typically are transformations of the CIE chromaticity diagram which is based on imaginary primaries that are not easily relatable to physiological mechanisms. Therefore, it may be difficult to characterize variations in discrimination under different conditions with simple changes in the uniform color space such as scaling the axes.

© 1992 Optical Society of America