Colorimetric characterization of multispectral imaging systems for visualization of historical artifacts

Multispectral imaging has long been used in the study of cultural heritage artifacts, particularly manuscripts with low-contrast text. The goal of multispectral imaging systems has largely been to enhance the text by imaging outside the spectral response of the human visual system and by applying various image processing techniques. However, there is a desire to use multispectral images for high quality, true color rendering of the artifacts as well. We use two multispectral imaging systems in this work. One of them is the Multispectral Imaging System for the study of Historical Artifacts (MISHA) which has been demonstrated to have significant utility at a lower cost and better ease of use compared to commercially available systems. This system was specifically designed and built for the purpose of imaging artifacts, particularly manuscripts and works on paper with illegible text due to deterioration and other environmental causes. Given this goal of “discovering” low-contrast text (and other features) on planar objects, the system has not been optimized for color reproduction purposes. The second system is a commercially available MegaVision EV^TM Spectral Imaging System. This system is also used for cultural heritage imaging. In this work, we develop an approach to colorimetrically characterize these cameras and illumination systems, adding an option for accurate color reproduction to their capabilities. To do this, we present two different approaches. The first approach we call the Color Transformation Method. Here we use a Macbeth ColorChecker to first linearize the camera photometric response, and then find a linear matrix transformation from the camera response to CIEXYZ tristimulus values. The second approach we call the Illuminant Method. Here we consider each output by the camera as a reflectance factor value at the known wavelength of a narrowband illuminator. We then convert these values to the color of the object in terms of CIEXYZ tristimulus values. We show that the Color Transformation Method using a Macbeth ColorChecker leads to a more accurate result. Meanwhile, the Illuminant Method is much simpler and produces acceptable results, particularly considering accurate color reproduction was not a goal in designing the MISHA camera system. The same methods are applied to both imaging systems to show the robustness and applicability of the approaches developed herein to other imaging systems. Results are shown for both quantitative calibration targets as well as artifacts of interest to the field of cultural heritage studies. It is worth noting that we are not comparing the two imaging systems overall or the color processing software available from MegaVision. Rather, we simply show that the two approaches developed here are applicable to different multispectral imaging systems, from a very cost-effective system, i.e., MISHA to a more expensive one, i.e., MegaVision.