Bio-inspired Color Constancy: From Gray Anchoring Theory to Gray Pixel Methods

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Yang, Kai-Fu, Luo, Fu-Ya, Li, Yong-Jie
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Yang, Kai-Fu
Luo, Fu-Ya
Li, Yong-Jie
author_facet Yang, Kai-Fu
Luo, Fu-Ya
Li, Yong-Jie
contents Color constancy is a fundamental ability of many biological visual systems and a crucial step in computer imaging systems. Bio-inspired modeling offers a promising way to elucidate the computational principles underlying color constancy and to develop efficient computational methods. However, bio-inspired methods for color constancy remain underexplored and lack a comprehensive analysis. This paper presents a comprehensive technical framework that integrates biological mechanisms, computational theory, and algorithmic implementation for bio-inspired color constancy. Specifically, we systematically revisit the computational theory of biological color constancy, which shows that illuminant estimation can be reduced to the task of gray-anchor (pixel or surface) detection in early vision. Subsequently, typical gray-pixel detection methods, including Gray-Pixel and Grayness-Index, are reinterpreted within a unified theoretical framework with the Lambertian reflection model and biological color-opponent mechanisms. Finally, we propose a simple learning-based method that couples reflection-model constraints with feature learning to explore the potential of bio-inspired color constancy based on gray-pixel detection. Extensive experiments confirm the effectiveness of gray-pixel detection for color constancy and demonstrate the potential of bio-inspired methods.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_20243
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Bio-inspired Color Constancy: From Gray Anchoring Theory to Gray Pixel Methods
Yang, Kai-Fu
Luo, Fu-Ya
Li, Yong-Jie
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Color constancy is a fundamental ability of many biological visual systems and a crucial step in computer imaging systems. Bio-inspired modeling offers a promising way to elucidate the computational principles underlying color constancy and to develop efficient computational methods. However, bio-inspired methods for color constancy remain underexplored and lack a comprehensive analysis. This paper presents a comprehensive technical framework that integrates biological mechanisms, computational theory, and algorithmic implementation for bio-inspired color constancy. Specifically, we systematically revisit the computational theory of biological color constancy, which shows that illuminant estimation can be reduced to the task of gray-anchor (pixel or surface) detection in early vision. Subsequently, typical gray-pixel detection methods, including Gray-Pixel and Grayness-Index, are reinterpreted within a unified theoretical framework with the Lambertian reflection model and biological color-opponent mechanisms. Finally, we propose a simple learning-based method that couples reflection-model constraints with feature learning to explore the potential of bio-inspired color constancy based on gray-pixel detection. Extensive experiments confirm the effectiveness of gray-pixel detection for color constancy and demonstrate the potential of bio-inspired methods.
title Bio-inspired Color Constancy: From Gray Anchoring Theory to Gray Pixel Methods
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20243