Track 08 – Digital Technologies for Colour
Permanent URI for this collection
• Catlin Langford – Victoria and Albert Museum, United Kingdom • Donata Magrini – CNR ISPC, Italy
PERCEIVE: Exhibiting the ''Unexhibitable''
Perceptive Enhanced Realities of Coloured Collections through AI and Virtual Experiences
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Sofia Pescarin, Birgitte Aga, I. Y. Arteaga Kiyomoto, Cristiana Barandoni, Federica
Bonifazi, Beatrice G. Boracchi, Lucia Burgio, Ivana Cerato, Irina Ciortan, Arthur Clay,
Bruno Fanini, Gemma Chiara Fedon, Daniele Ferdani, Holger Graf, Jon Y. Hardeberg, Donata
Magrini, Marcello Massidda, Paschalis Panteleris, Giorgos Papadopoulos, Marios Pitikakis,
I. C. A. Sandu, S. N. Sinha Neil, P. Siozos, S. Sotiropoulou, S. Spotti, P. Stavroulakis,
L. Travaglini, G. Trumpy, and M. Veggi
An Atlas-based Approach for Appearance-aware Virtual 3D Restoration and Simulation of
Fading in Fugitive Textiles
Saptarshi Neil Sinha, Irina M. Ciortan, Tom Kneiphof, Paul Julius Kühn, Brenda Doherty,
Lucia Burgio, Richard Palmer, Catarina Pinto, Laura Martel, David Buti, Letizia Monico,
Reinhard Klein, Arjan Kuijper, and Michael Weinmann
Interactive and immersive discovery of diagnostic processes on multi-layered 3D collections
on the web: the MuLaX tool
Bruno Fanini, Marcello Massidda, Daniele Ferdani, Federica Bonifazi, Donata Magrini,
Roberta Iannaccone, and Cristiana Barandoni
Text2Autochrome: Text guided autochrome synthesis using generative models
Paul Julius Kühn, Saptarshi Neil Sinha, Duc Anh Nguyen, Robin Horst, Arjan Kuijper, and
Dieter W. Fellner
What can a historic black and white photograph tell us about the original colours of a
painting? A case study on Edvard Munch's the Scream (1910?)
Panagiotis Siozos, Irina Crina Anca Sandu, Petros Ioannis Stavroulakis, and Sophia
Sotiropoulou
Implementing Curiosity Hooks and Caring Practices in the Reconstruction of Lost Polychromy:
Design Prototypes for Interactive Experiences.
Federica Bonifazi, Manuele Veggi, Marcello Massidda, Daniele Ferdani, and Sofia Pescarin
Designing Authentic Digital Experiences
Samuele Spotti, Federica Bonifazi, Marcello Massidda, Sofia Pescarin, and Laura Travaglini
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Text2Autochrome: Text guided autochrome synthesis using generative models(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Kühn, Paul Julius; Sinha, Saptarshi Neil; Nguyen, Duc Anh; Horst, Robin; Kuijper, Arjan; Fellner, Dieter W.; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioAutochrome is an early color photography technique that is highly sensitive and prone to deterioration, limiting their public display. A limited collection of digitized autochromes exists, often with defects due to their fragile nature. We applied generative AI methods, specifically Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA), to fine-tune diffusion models, enabling efficient use of computational resources. Our curated dataset of vintage digitized autochromes showcased various styles and served as the basis for training the LoRA model, resulting in the generation of digitized autochromes that preserved the original color filter effects and characteristic granularity. By leveraging generative AI, we can utilize the multi-modal capabilities of the model, allowing each user to generate images through concept-based prompts. This approach empowers users to creatively interact with the model, producing personalized images while maintaining the historical color fidelity and structure of autochromes. This capability also enables us to generate defect-free autochromes, which can be utilized for synthetic training in autochrome restoration efforts. We evaluated our approach using the CLIPScore metric for quantitative similarity and conducted a user study for qualitative feedback on the generated images. Our results show that the fine-tuned LoRA model effectively captures the essence of autochromes, producing visually appealing images that respect the historical aesthetic. Considering the potential for misinterpretation and ethical concerns surrounding text-to-image methods using deep learning with historical photographs, we are committed to enhancing transparency by releasing our model weights and training datasets, thereby empowering the community to better understand, evaluate, and address these important issues. Further we release an interactive demo together with the fine-tuned weights available via huggingface.Item Interactive and immersive discovery of diagnostic processes on multi-layered 3D collections on the web: the MuLaX tool(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Fanini, Bruno; Massidda, Marcello; Ferdani, Daniele; Bonifazi, Federica; Magrini, Donata; Iannaccone, Roberta; Barandoni, Cristiana; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioWeb3D technologies and recent standards allow nowadays to craft rich and interactive tools to present complex and multi-dimensional scientific data. The efficient visualization of 3D models enriched with analytical data acquired from archaeometric surveys on cultural heritage artefacts have become a fundamental aspect in digital preservation. Innovative scientific approaches and accessible interaction models enable experts and the general public to discover invisible or lost information (e.g. ancient polychromy on statuary or faded colors on paintings or textiles), edit and compare multiple datasets. In this paper, we present a Web3D tool called ''MuLaX'', designed and developed under the PERCEIVE European project: we describe its modular architecture, components and features offering users new ways to access, discover and examine multi-dimensional statuary collections directly online. The tool was developed on top of the open-source ATON framework, as plug\&play vertical application: it offers interactive discovery models for analytical/color data (layers), interactive annotation system for spot-analyses (microscope, X-ray fluorescence, etc.) or imaging (Visible-induced Luminescence, Ultraviolet-induced Visible Luminescence, etc.). Designed to handle multiple items (collections), MuLaX is also accessible on every device - from smartphones up to XR devices - and embraces modern web standards, formats and large open ecosystems to maximize interoperability and reuse. Furthermore, MuLaX explores dynamic image-based masks, providing easy ways to describe complex but network-wise compact semantic areas on top of the artwork, generated by other services or via interactive semantic painting. The Web3D tool also integrates with the PERCEIVE ecosystem, using its cloud to access items collection, analytical/color layers and semantic masks. This enables comfortable and flexible management by remote researchers and professionals, as well as remote processing of such data by online PERCEIVE services. In addition to a responsive UI, MuLaX also offers final users access to different XR presentation modes via WebXR, using spatial user interfaces for immersive inspection and discovery of artworks. The preliminary results of the considerable applicability of the tool were discussed in the context of the case study of Venus in a bikini exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) and studied within the PERCEIVE project, as well as ongoing extension of MuLaX tool to embrace artworks in the 2D domain (like paintings), thanks to its flexible architectural design.Item Implementing Curiosity Hooks and Caring Practices in the Reconstruction of Lost Polychromy: Design Prototypes for Interactive Experiences.(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Bonifazi, Federica; Veggi, Manuele; Massidda, Marcello; Ferdani, Daniele; Pescarin, Sofia; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioEngaging museum audiences with problems such as the conservation of monuments or the fading or lost colours of our Cultural Heritage remains a challenge, as traditional approaches often fail to establish lasting connections. Recent museological debates highlight a ''sense of care'' as a key perspective in fostering relationships between citizens and Cultural Heritage. The PERCEIVE Horizon project explores ''caring prototypes'' to enhance engagement with coloured collections. Building on research on curiosity-driven engagement, this study investigates design strategies for digital and hybrid prototypes, specifically tailored to engage visitors with the lost polychromy of ancient statuary. Our qualitative user research in museums and educational contexts reveals that audience feel to be involved most when actively solicited by an investigative process, rather than being treated as passive observer of reconstructions. We propose here a User eXperience (UX), interface (UI) and interaction (IxD) solutions inspired by a ''care'' theory. The theory is based on three concepts: ''care practice'', ''care as a process'' and ''effort''. The result is a modular interactive UX that guides visitors through the step-by-step reconstruction of lost polychromy, integrating archaeological, literary, and scientific data to foster a deeper connection with these fragile collections.Item An Atlas-based Approach for Appearance-aware Virtual 3D Restoration and Simulation of Fading in Fugitive Textiles(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Sinha, Saptarshi Neil; Ciortan, Irina M.; Kneiphof, Tom; Kühn, Paul Julius; Doherty, Brenda; Burgio, Lucia; Palmer, Richard; Pinto, Catarina; Martel, Laura; Buti, David; Monico, Letizia; Klein, Reinhard; Kuijper, Arjan; Weinmann, Michael; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioSimulating the discoloration of cultural heritage garments provides valuable insights into their history and supports their preservation. For this purpose, digital methods provide innovative solutions that can leverage the realism of aging processes without causing damage to the artifact. In this work, we propose a method to render color changes in two fugitive textiles housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. We use a combination of novel atlas-based material segmentation and color restoration approaches to transfer appearance from textile mockups to the 3D models of the garments. The fading effects are induced with accelerated aging on mockups that are chemical proxies of the historic garments, with their aging monitored colorimetrically and spectrally, and their appearance measured with a total appearance capture device. Our proposed approach generates a colour-cue-based segmentation map over a 3D surface, followed by appearance transfer to segmented regions from mockups and fading simulations from spectral unmixing, along with appearance-aware restoration optimized using a reference image. By facilitating appearance-aware fading simulation in virtual 3D models in an interactive app, our approach supports a realistic visualization of colour change in the past and the future. We evaluate our method on two heritage garments - a 20th-century kimono and a 19th-century Victorian dress featuring different fabrics (silk and cotton) and dyed with natural and synthetic materials. In accordance with data collected through scientific analysis measurements, the proposed method effectively transfers a visual appearance that is both plausible and consistent with the data, providing both specialists and lay audiences with a range of fading simulations to support interpretation and restoration decisions.Item Designing Authentic Digital Experiences(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Spotti, Samuele; Bonifazi, Federica; Massidda, Marcello; Pescarin, Sofia; Travaglini, Laura; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioThe concept of authenticity has gained growing importance in the design of digital, hybrid, and XR experiences within the Cultural Heritage (CH) sector. In earlier research [PCS24], we examined authenticity through a multidisciplinary lens, combining a state-of-the-art review with empirical data collected via a Cultural Probe Kit (CPK) to explore user perceptions of authenticity in interactive experiences. From this, we developed a multidimensional authenticity framework, structured around three core dimensions: Self, Others, and World. This paper focuses on translating that framework into actionable design strategies through the PERCEIVE Co-design tool-a free resource composed of a card deck, board worksheets, and activity guidelines. Available as both a physical board game and a web app (in development), the tool supports designers and cultural experts through a step-by-step process to ensure authenticity is embedded in the experience design. By encouraging collaboration and creativity, it promotes the development of engaging, emotionally resonant digital experiences. Additionally, we created a custom GPT assistant to support iterative brainstorming and UX ideation around authenticity. The co-design outcomes were then used to shape the exhibition design strategy of Reconstruct & Relive, the final showcase of the PERCEIVE project (Ch.3).Item What can a historic black and white photograph tell us about the original colours of a painting? A case study on Edvard Munch's the Scream (1910?)(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Siozos, Panagiotis; Sandu, Irina Crina Anca; Stavroulakis, Petros Ioannis; Sotiropoulou, Sophia; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioWe present a computational method that uses historical black-and-white photographs combined with recent multi/hyperspectral imaging to detect colour changes in artworks caused by exposure to environmental conditions or other factors over time. The method is based on the comparative study of a historical black and white photograph with a corresponding image derived computationally from the spectral data cube of the most recent acquisition with a spectral camera, by simulating the capture mode based on the sensitivity curves of the film. The proposed method is completed with the necessary calibrations and refinements of the simulation. In this paper, we present the application of the method to the painting of Edvard Munch's The Scream 1910(?) in the MUNCH Museum in Oslo, of which a historic black and white photograph taken with orthochromatic film in 1938 is held in the same museum. The comparison revealed significant differences in lightness, indicative of colour changes, such as fading in the yellow areas and unexpected brightening in the blue areas, a phenomenon not previously reported. The results provide new insights into the material ageing of The Scream and offer a valuable opportunity to study a historical photographic document that captured the painting only a few decades after its creation, preserving evidence of its original appearance that is no longer accessible through direct visual observation. Furthermore, the methodological approach demonstrated here broadly applies to other cultural heritage objects for which historical photographic records and modern spectral imaging are available, providing a non-invasive, data-driven framework for tracking colour and material changes over time.Item Perceptive Enhanced Realities of Coloured Collections through AI and Virtual Experiences(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Pescarin, Sofia; Aga, Birgitte; Kiyomoto, I. Y. Arteaga; Barandoni, Cristiana; Bonifazi, Federica; Boracchi, Beatrice G.; Burgio, Lucia; Cerato, Ivana; Ciortan, Irina; Clay, Arthur; Fanini, Bruno; Fedon, Gemma Chiara; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Hardeberg, Jon Y.; Magrini, Donata; Massidda, Marcello; Panteleris, Paschalis; Papadopoulos, Giorgos; Pitikakis, Marios; Sandu, I. C. A.; Neil, S. N. Sinha; Siozos, P.; Sotiropoulou, S.; Spotti, S.; Stavroulakis, P.; Travaglini, L.; Trumpy, G.; Veggi, M.; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, FabioPERCEIVE (Perceptive Enhanced Realities of Coloured Collections through AI and Virtual Experiences) is an European project dedicated to the study, analysis, interpretation, reconstruction, conservation and communication of colours in artwork and historical objects, within five different scenarios, including: lost polychromy of ancient sculptures, fading colours of paintings and works on arts, of textiles, of historical photo and film collections and colour of digital born art. This paper describes the methodology and presents the main results beyond the state of the art.