Designing a wavelength specific color perception test for just noticeable difference in color domain

Abstract

To the human vision, there exists in color images a certain amount of perceptual redundancy since the human visual system (HVS) has limited sensitivity in discriminating color signals of small differences. Such colors of small differences are called Just Noticeable different colors. A test has been designed to check for such near wavelength colors that does not seem different to a normal human eye. The test is solely based upon the perception of human eye towards different wavelengths in the visible spectrum. The test consists of a central color of certain wavelength which was surrounded equidistantly by colors having wavelengths, not differing much from the central color. In the test the subjects had to choose the colors that looked similar to the central color. As the color perception varies from individual to individual, this test when conducted over a large population having a healthy vision varying in age, gender and ethnicity can yield a generalized color perception by a normal human eye. The objectives of test were to find out the just noticeable different colors among a given set of colors having wavelengths that are just few nanometers different from each other and to get a generalized color perception for a human eye. When data of a very large sample space is statistically analyzed, we get reliable information that can be used to diagnose defects in the color vision.