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Color constancy in Japanese

animation

Yasuyo G. Ichihara

Yasuyo G. Ichihara, "Color constancy in Japanese animation," Proc. SPIE

6058, Color Imaging XI: Processing, Hardcopy, and Applications, 60580C (16
January 2006); doi: 10.1117/12.639253

Event: Electronic Imaging 2006, 2006, San Jose, California, United States

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 Color Constancy in Japanese Animation
Yasuyo G. Ichihara
Hosen Gakuen College, 2-33-26 Chuo, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 164-8631 JAPAN

ABSTRACT

In this study, we measure the colors used in a Japanese Animations. The result can be seen on CIE-xy color spaces. It
clearly shows that the color system is not a natural appearance system but an imagined and artistic appearance system.
Color constancy of human vision can tell the difference in skin and hair colors between under moonlight and day light.
Human brain generates a match to the memorized color of an object from daylight viewing conditions to the color of the
object in different viewing conditions. For example, Japanese people always perceive the color of the Rising Sun in the
Japanese flag as red even in a different viewing condition such as under moonlight.
Color images captured by a camera cannot present those human perceptions. However, Japanese colorists in Animation
succeeded in painting the effects of color constancy not only under moonlight but also added the memory matching
colors.
They aim to create a greater impact on viewer’s perceptions by using the effect of the memory matching colors.

In this paper, we propose the Imagined Japanese Animation Color System. This system in art is currently a subject of
research in Japan. Its importance is that it could also provide an explanation on how human brain perceives the same
color under different viewing conditions.

Keywords: Color Constancy, Color Appearance, Japanese Animation, human color vision, color memory

INTRODUCTION

The quality of Japanese animation is known worldwide. Hayao Miyazaki’s popular animation film called "Sen to
Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ( "Spirited Away") shared the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear prize in 2002. It is the first
time for an animation to win the top prize in Berlin, one of the world's pre-eminent film festivals. The Japanese
Animations are among the most beautiful color movies in the world. They are viewed and favored by over 22 million
people at various ages in Japan. Their colors are more beautiful than live-action films because Japanese colorists in
Animation choose hundreds of colors from the infinite variety of colors in the world to reach the effect of viewer’s color
constancy and color memory matching.
For this study, we selected to measure the color luminance and chromaticity of two scenes from “The Castle of
Cagliostro”. This popular animation film produced by Hayao Miyazaki in 1979 was his first success. Hiroko Kondo
made the colored design of the movie. Their rich imagination and sophisticated depiction of fantasy is highly estimated
by the animation admirers in Japan. The colors of this animation are not color appearance as in the real world but
present an imagined appearance in the human memory. For example, we imagine the color of our skin as pale orange
under moonlight, because we have recalled our memories about this color viewed under daylight. This proves that the
imagined appearance exists in human brain.

METHODS

We measured 2 scenes from “The Castle of Cagliostro”: one scene under moonlight, and another scene under
fluorescent light.
From each of the 2 scenes, we selected 8 points as color stimuli. The light side under fluorescent light is marked from
L1 toL8, and the dark side under moonlight is marked from D1 to D8. From the scene under moonlight, we selected to
examine the colors of the 2 flags and the colors of the rose petals and the leaves.
The color stimuli of luminance and chromaticity displayed on TV screen were measured. The Minolta luminance and
colorimeter, CS-1000, was used to take this measurement.

Color Imaging XI: Processing, Hardcopy, and Applications, edited by Reiner Eschbach, Gabriel G. Marcu,
Proc. of SPIE-IS&T Electronic Imaging, SPIE Vol. 6058, 60580C, © 2005 SPIE-IS&T · 0277-786X/05/$15

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 Table 1 shows the points from D1 to D8, and from L1 to L2. Table 2 shows the colors of the 2 flags.

Table1
D1-L1 hair (dark)
D2-L2 hair (light)
D3-L3 skin (dark)
D4-L4 skin (light)
D5-L5 a tie
D6-L6 a shirt (dark)
D7-L7 a shirt (light)
D8-L8 an eye color
Figure 1 shows the point from D1 to D8, Figure 2 shows the points of from L1 to L8.
Figure 1 Under moonlight Figure 2 Under fluorescent light
Dl

LI
L2
L8

Table 2 The colors of the flags

Da The pink colors of the rose
Dc The yellow color of the flag
Db The green color of the leaves
Dd The red color of the flag
De The red color of the flag
Df The white color of the flag
Dg The blue color of the flag
Dh The green color of the flag

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 Di The yellow color of the flag
Dj The red color of the flag

Figure 3 The colors of the national flags under moonlight

RESULT

As shown in Table 3, the Luminance and Chromaticity of the stimuli from D1 to D8 correspond to the stimuli from L1
to L8.

Table 3 the Luminance and Chromaticity of D1-D8 and L1-L8

Lv cd/㎡ x y
D1 4.097 0.2022 0.1833
D2 12.43 0.2001 0.1974
D3 46.82 0.2278 0.1923
D4 73.54 0.2757 0.2414
D5 16.55 0.176 0.1456
D6 41.19 0.217 0.2307
D7 75.44 0.2437 0.2609
D8 17.43 0.1761 0.1444

L1 3.732 0.4369 0.3384

L2 8.502 0.515 0.3698
L3 36.95 0.3766 0.3429

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 L4 78.21 0.3365 0.3283
L5 7.588 0.4836 0.3034
L6 61.77 0.2379 0.2357
L7 105.1 0.256 0.2829
L8 25.85 0.1848 0.1577

Figure 4 From D1-D8 to L1-L8 corresponding color data

Table 4 shows the colors of the flags and the colors of rose petals and leaves.

Table 4

Lv cd/㎡ x y
Da 53.31 0.3161 0.2399 The pink color of the rose
Dc 74.89 0.2952 0.3328 The yellow color of the flag
The green color of the
Db 22.96 0.2117 0.2738 leaves
Dd 23.69 0.3962 0.2620 The red color of the flag

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 De 26.36 0.4036 0.2576 The red color of the flag
Df 82.25 0.2484 0.2610 The white color of the flag
Dg 19.78 0.1862 0.1623 The blue color of the flag
Dh 25.37 0.2068 0.2640 The green color of the flag
Di 47.53 0.3483 0.3699 The yellow color of the flag
Dj 15.05 0.3714 0.2296 The red color of the flag

Figure 5 Table 4 data is showed on x-y space.

0-

DISCUSSION

Hereafter, we would like to discuss four issues on color constancy and color image. The first issue the data about D1,
D2 and D5 long distance transition to L1, L2 and L5 correspondingly along the x-y space. We showed their
chromaticity on figure 6 and their luminance on figure7. D1-L1 and D2-L2 are the girl’s hair color. Her hair color is
reddish brown under fluorescent light. D5-L5 is the color of her tie which is red under fluorescent light.
The reddish hair colors transferred to the category of the blue color under dark viewing condition. The red color of the
tie under light viewing condition also changed into blue. It is the Prukinje phenomenon under scotopic vision that makes
us perceive red as dark and the blue as light. However, the luminance of these colors of the light scene is darker than the
luminance of the same colors of the dark scene. Figure 7 shows that D1, D2 and D5 have higher luminance than L1, L2
and L5.

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 The color of the hair and the color of the tie are too bright under moonlight, and therefore are profiled clearly from the
dark background.

Figure 6 D1-L1, D2-L2, and D5-L5 stand for the colors of the hair and the color of the tie from a dark
viewing condition to a light one on x-y spaces
Figure 7 The luminance of D1-L1, D2-L2, and D5-L5

Lv cd/ ㎡

18
16
14
12
10
Lv cd/ ㎡
8
6
4
2
0
D1 L1 D2 L2 D5 L5

Secondly, we present the data about the D3 and D4 middle distance transition on x-y space. Figure 8 and Figure 9
indicate the stimuli D3-L3 and D4-L4 correspondingly. We showed their chromaticity on figure 8, and their luminance
on figure 9. D3-L3 and D4-L4 are the color of the skin. The light side of the color of skin L4 is yellowish white under
fluorescent light. The somewhat white component predominated in D4 compared to L4. The dark side of the skin D3
and L3 moved to a further distance along the x-y space than D4 and L4. The dark side of skin is orange-yellowish white
under fluorescent light and pale white under moonlight.
The color of the skin underwent medium change in the x-y space but it did not transfer into other category. This
luminance change is insignificantly small, hence we could say that the color of the girl’s skin represent a constant. It is
evident that these colors cannot be seen in a real scene. However, while watching the animation, the audience perceives
the color of the face as beautiful even under moonlight, because this color matches to their previously recognized color.
Figure 8 D3-L3 and D4-L4 are the color of the skin under dark and light viewing conditions to light one on
x-y spaces
Figure 9 The luminance of D3-L3 and D4-L4

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 Lv cd/ ㎡

90
80
70
60
50
Lv cd/ ㎡
40
30
20
10
0
D3 L3 D4 L4
(x)

Thirdly, we report the data about the D6 and D7 a short distance transition along the x-y space. D6 - D7 and L6 - L7 are
the colors of the white shirt. The data do not have big paradox color appearance. The both dark and light sides of the
shirt are bluish- white. The color of the dark side is always more bluish than its light side. D6 and D7 under moonlight
are more bluish than L6 and L7 under fluorescent light. Hence, the colors of dark and light sides under fluorescent light
have higher luminance than they have under moonlight.

Figure 10 D6-L6 and D7-L7 on x-y spaces Figure 11 The luminance of D6-L6 and D7-L7
Lv cd/ ㎡

120

100

80

60 Lv cd/ ㎡

40

20

0
D6 L6 D7 L7

Fourthly, we provide an example of an imagined appearance color system. The red colors of the national flag are shown
in figure 5. The chromaticity of the red colors of the Japanese flag, the French tricolor and the tie is almost same. But
under moonlight, the red tie appears blue, and the red colors of the national flags red are shown “red” in Figure 12. The
real color appearance under moonlight should be as shown in Figure 13. There the red color of the Japanese and the

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 French flags appears bluish purple. In the original animation scene, shown in figure 12, however, the color of the
national flags remain red as a result of color memory matching.

Figure 12 Imagined appearance Figure 13 Realistic appearance

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there are 4 points that have to be emhasized.

First, only the color of the girl’s white shirt is shown as it is reality when viewed under moonlight.
Second the luminance of the color of girl’s skin appears constant under fluorescent and moonlight.
Third, the reddish color of the girl’s hair and the red tie appear emphatic blue under moonlight, and their luminance is
higher than when viewed under fluorescent light. Fourthly, the colors of the national flags in this animation represent a
fine example of a color memory matching.
In summary, this study showed that color memory matching is a phenomenon that is used by the Japanese animators to
increase the effect of the animation scenes over the viewers’ perceptions. The examined scenes from “The Castle of
Cagliostro “ demonstrate that the color system in this Japanese animation is in fact an imagined and artistic appearance
system which is much appreciated by the viewers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This research is supported by Japan Ministry of Education, culture, sports, science and technology, the grant-in-aid
category C, No.17530677-3603, 2005-2006.

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