Remembering a green hue

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75RR
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Remembering a green hue

#1 Post by 75RR » Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:35 pm

Thinking of using a Pantone colour chart to record algae green hues along with image number, objective, size etc... when taking a photograph in order to make sure final image is as faithful as possible to what was seen.
Anybody doing this?

http://www.pantone-colours.com/
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiver ... igital.PDF
http://www.azaleas.org/index.pl/rhsmacfan3.html
Last edited by 75RR on Fri Jun 19, 2015 4:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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billbillt
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#2 Post by billbillt » Fri Jun 19, 2015 3:35 pm

I had not thought about this.. I see it as a good idea...

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Re: Remembering a green hue

#3 Post by gekko » Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:34 pm

Excellent (and interesting) idea. Thank you, 75RR.
One way I envisage implementing this for photomicrography is to obtain or print a similar color chart (the print does not have to reproduce the colors accurately). When viewing, e.g., the alga under the microscope, note down the chart color that is closest and when editing the image, try to get the same color. I think this would work well if everyone used a calibrated monitor (which I don't :().

The Simpson paper should make interesting reading.

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75RR
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#4 Post by 75RR » Fri Jun 19, 2015 7:18 pm

Thanks billbillt

I agree gekko, calibrated monitors are a "must". Not that mine is properly calibrated. I really must make the effort!
... obtain or print a similar color chart (the print does not have to reproduce the colors accurately).
I concur, as long as there is a sufficient range of colours so one can find a match to what one sees through the microscope and then use that choice to adjust the colour in the image editing software - it works.

I found it interesting that the plant colour ID chart has holes in it (to place over the leaf) in order to to be able to fine tune colour matches.
It will be a little harder for us.
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The QCC
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#5 Post by The QCC » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:24 pm

If you have a printer that can print accurate colours you may want to look at this link.
Pantone colour chart

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75RR
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#6 Post by 75RR » Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:47 pm

Thanks The QCC,
link in fact is the first one in the opening post.
I no longer have a printer - I do not print much and when I do I find it much cheaper and simpler to use a local print-shop.
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#7 Post by gekko » Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:23 am

If you have little children in your family or friends' families, you can borrow their crayons, and color squares of different green shades, label them (A, B, C, etc.) then, when looking at, say, algae, write down the colored square with the closest green. Then when editing, try to match that. Crazy idea, I know, but it should be just as effective if you have crayons (or colored pencils) with enough different hues.

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75RR
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#8 Post by 75RR » Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:45 pm

Agree with gekko that not only will just about any "colour palette" do, but that the number of colours need not be very extensive. Each reference point, i.e. coloured square, is multiplied by our perception of how close or far it is to what we are observing through the microscope. At a minimum each of our colours becomes 3, the actual colour and a darker/lighter version of the same. An initial modest palette of 4 colours, product of a child's crayon set, whether traded, borrowed or stolen, expands to at least 12.
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Charles
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Re: Remembering a green hue

#9 Post by Charles » Thu Jul 02, 2015 8:29 pm

But, wouldn't the color of the subject also depend on what type of lighting was used and filters used? Wouldn't a subject lit by tungsten light look different than a halogen or LED?

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Re: Remembering a green hue

#10 Post by gekko » Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:46 pm

Charles wrote:But, wouldn't the color of the subject also depend on what type of lighting was used and filters used? Wouldn't a subject lit by tungsten light look different than a halogen or LED?
Yes,you are exactly right: lots of complications (including the fact that different monitors will show significantly different colors unless they are all calibrated to the same standard). But at least the Pantone/'crayon' method will enable the microscopist to get the image on her/his monitor close to what (s)he saw through the eyepiece (using whichever light source/filters); which was, I thought, the (albeit limited) purpose of the exercise :)

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Re: Remembering a green hue

#11 Post by 75RR » Fri Jul 03, 2015 12:15 am

The idea was to make a small manageable first step towards reproducing what we see through the microscope.
This arose because someone queried the color of an alga in an image I had posted. Despite replying that "of course it was spot on!" - it did get me thinking as to how well I actually remembered the colour - not just at the time of the question but during the post processing stage, which could include images of several algae, and therefore a multitude of green hues and shades, and does not necessarily always occur immediately after taking the photographs.

Further steps will be required to provide the world with a colour version of WYSIWYG which should read something like WISIWES (What I See Is What Everyone Sees) ... which now that I think about it is what colorsync is meant to be all about.
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