Abstract: A graphical user interface provides for interactively modifying, on the user's display, the appearance of a palette of colors on one or more hardcopy output devices. The interface provides a graphical representation of a color space in a color space window on the user's display and draws each color in the palette in its current location in the color space, thereby showing the relationship of each color in the palette with other colors in the palette. The interface stores all color representations as device independent color specifications. The user interface stores a plurality of colorimetrically measured colors representing the gamut of one or more target hardcopy output devices, and displays the boundaries of a selected device gamut in the color space. The user manually controls the appearance of a color on an output printer device by moving a color from a current location outside the target gamut to a destination location inside the gamut. The user may also edit the color's lightness signal.

Abstract: A functional color selection system is provided for automatically generating a palette of coordinated, harmonious, and aesthetically pleasing colors from symmetrically manipulating colorimetrically specified colors in a perceptually uniform color space. The color selections system operates in a calibrated color display gamut using device independent color specifications based on internationally recognized color specification systems. A simple-to-use interface is provided for a user to select a key color on which the palette is to be based, and from the key color to select analogous and complement harmony colors. The user may also select chroma and lightness variations of the key, analogous, and complement harmony colors, and these colors will be computed at predetermined equally spaced intervals from those colors in the uniform color space. Colors are generated according to known color theories for selecting harmonious colors.

Abstract: A reference color selection system is provided for creating a palette of colorimetrically measured colors. Palettes of colorimetrically measured colors representing naturally occurring objects and specified using a standard device independent color specification, such as the CIE color specification, are arranged in a data base. A simple-to-use color selection user interface permits a user to retrieve, view, and modify each palette. The palette of colors is displayed in a simple arrangement on a display screen such as a color monitor. Each color is transformed into coordinates in a uniform color space, such as the CIELAB space. The user may delete colors not needed, and may create new colors for the palette by mixing two existing palette colors together. The mixing function simulates an artist's "color wash", and is a linear interpolation, or interval scale, in the uniform color space between two end colors selected by the user.

Abstract: A graphical user interface is disclosed for interactively editing a palette of colors in response to signals from a user, such as from a pointing device. The interface provides a color space in a color space window on the user's display and draws each color in the palette in its current location in the color space, thereby showing the relationship of each color in the palette with other colors in the palette. The interface stores all color representations as device independent color specifications in the uniform color space. The user edits a color by moving it from its current location to a destination location, or by changing its lightness coordinate. The graphical user interface also provides for storing a plurality of colorimetrically measured colors representing the display gamut. When the user edits a color, a gamut clipping process ensures that the modified color is producible in the display gamut.