EunJin Kim, a Ph.D. candidate of Color lab, presented her recent work entitled, “Key Color Generation Algorithm to Enhance the Aesthetic and Affective Quality of Image-Color Combinations” at IPIU 2016 Workshop in Jeju, Korea. In the paper, she discussed the insights from designers’ color selection process to develop a key color generation algorithm. The algorithm creates a color by combining a genuine hue and a mood tone, and the result of a user test showed a satisfactory performance of the algorithm compared to designers’ selection. She also provided a demo of a Web-based interface that the proposed algorithm is embedded.

Abstract

Although tools and methods have been remarkably improved to support designers’ color manipulation, little is known about the color selection process in relation to accompanying images. Based on the findings from the experiment with designers, we developed an algorithm that generates key colors towards the aesthetic and affective harmony with images. The algorithm creates a color by combining a genuine hue and a mood tone: hue is inherited from an image and tone is articulated according to the target emotion. We carried out a user test to assess the performance of the algorithm, and the results showed that it performs as satisfactory as designers do. This work contributes to the understanding of aesthetic interaction between image and color, and its application in the context of graphic design.