Conference Overview
COLOR is taking a break in 2026. COLOR-related papers have been incorporated into the HVEI program.
Color imaging has historically been treated as a phenomenon sufficiently described by three independent parameters. Recent advances in computational resources and in the understanding of the human aspects are leading to new approaches that extend the purely metrological view of color towards a perceptual approach describing the appearance of objects, documents and displays. Part of this perceptual view is the incorporation of spatial aspects, adaptive color processing based on image content, and the automation of color tasks, to name a few. This dynamic nature applies to all output modalities, including hardcopy devices, but to an even larger extent to soft-copy displays with their even larger options of dynamic processing. Spatially adaptive gamut and tone mapping, dynamic contrast, and color management continue to support the unprecedented development of display hardware covering everything from mobile displays to standard monitors, and all the way to large size screens and emerging technologies. The scope of inquiry is also broadened by the desire to match not only color, but complete appearance perceived by the user. This conference provides an opportunity to present, to interact, and to learn about the most recent developments in color imaging and material appearance researches, technologies and applications. Focus of the conference is on color basic research and testing, color image input, dynamic color image output and rendering, color image automation, emphasizing color in context and color in images, and reproduction of images across local and remote devices. The conference covers also software, media, and systems related to color and material appearance. Special attention is given to applications and requirements created by and for multidisciplinary fields involving color and/or vision.
2026 Conference Topics
AI and Color
Applications and methods of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the field of color science and technology
Image Processing
Image processing for color input, soft and hard copy output and electronic publishing, automatic color correction, image preference processing (automatic as well as user-guided), visual tolerance, quantization, half toning, data compression and artifact reduction
Color reproduction
Spatial aspects of color, color in context, color reproduction across devices, network color management, color appearance, color preference and estimation, visual adaptation, computational color science, high dynamic range imaging and tone mapping, wide gamut imaging systems, and image processing pipelines
Systems and architectures
Device independent color implementation in commercial systems, color management, color matching device drivers, system performance, imaging workflow
Device modeling and characterization
Paper UV fluorescence, infra-red behavior, etc. and their influence on rendering
Effects of extra-spectral attributes
Paper UV fluorescence, infra-red behavior, gloss, etc. and their influence on rendering
Applications of color hard and soft copy
Medical imaging, cartography, fine arts, use of color in documents, new communications media, knowledge delivery
Color image encoding and standards
Interchange languages, file formats, color encoding, ICC profiles, color atlases and color naming
Representation and encoding of compound documents
Mixed raster content, multi-plane imaging models, document compression
Spatial processing
Exploring spatial aspects in image processing, including spatial aspects of human perception as it relates to image rendering
Color vision models
Functional aspects of color vision, computational models, spatial and local color image processing, color vision deficiencies and modeling, model parameters tuning methods, perceptual evaluation methods and techniques for models output and related color image processing
Color and material appearance
Effects of extra-spectral color attributes, such as gloss, or translucency, to the practical ways these attributes can be evaluated in a specific applicative context; measurement of Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions (BRDF), Bidirectional Texture Functions (BTF), and Bidirectional Surface Scattering Reflectance Distribution Function (BSSRDF); and quality evaluation of 2.5D and 3D soft- and hard-copy reproductions.
2026 Special Sessions
AI for Color
Color blindness
Games
Awards
The First Submission Award is given to the first recorded submission to the conference.
The Last Presentation Award is given to the last paper presented in the conference.
2026 Committee
Conference Chairs
Alessandro Rizzi, Università Degli Studi di Milano (Italy)
Reiner Eschbach, consultant (US)
Gabriel Marcu, consultant (US)
Program Committee
Giordano B. Beretta, Consultant (US)
Karen Egiazarian, Tampere University (Finland)
Ivar Farup, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (Norway)
Sasan Gooran, Linköping University (Sweden)
Philip Green, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (Norway)
Takahiko Horiuchi, Chiba University (Japan)
Rafael Huertas, University of Granada (Spain)
John J McCann, McCann Imaging (US)
Hyeon-Jeong Suk, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (Republic of Korea)
Shoji Tominaga, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway) and Nagano University (Japan)