Abstract: A method for determining the average gray value of a plurality of regions within a digitized electronic video image and for determining the color of the region from the average gray value. Initial image segmentation is accomplished by thresholding a multibit digital value into a one bit black and white representation of a picture element of the region. The gray values of the picture elements within either a black or a white region can then be analyzed to determine the average gray value by constructing a histogram of each region and eliminating from the histogram the picture elements not associated with the actual color or shading of the region of interest. The remaining picture elements are averaged to obtain the average gray value for the region.