Color as a Keyword

[clee01l]

Does anyone organize images by dominant color? Do you have a color keyword? Is there another way?
In the example below, would keywords of the colors "black", "Gray", "yellow" and "Green" be useful for finding a Black & Yellow Bird or images with a green background? I can't see adding a color keyword to all my cataloged photos but certainly to the more important ones. Before I start this Keyword 'project' I'd like to get some feedback.

 

[erro]

I've also thought about this.

I think adding all four colors "black", "gray", "yellow" and "green" would be too many colors. Soon you would have a lot of photos with a lot of colors and searching would be pointless.

If I would do this, I'd settle for just one color: the dominant one. Green in the case of your bird-photo. As a sidenote: an automatic simple color-averaging function could maybe be included in future LR releases, thus making any manual color keywords unneccesary.

Another possible way would be to have two color-keywords: one for background and one for subject.

As usual, it's a matter of how complex you want it to be, and what dicipline you have to actually enter the keywords.

 

[johnbeardy]

Sometimes when the picture is really "about" the colour, I would add it as a keyword. Otherwise not.

It's worth noting that some image management software has attempted to sample the image, record its dominant colour. and then let you search for images matching colour swatches. I'm particularly thinking of iView and (though the sampling wasn't very reliable) you can easily imagine potential uses in graphic design. But in Lightroom, for example, if you've shot raw and set the camera to monochrome output, Lightroom might detect that the embedded JPEG is mono and make it a default black and white upon import. Bit of a digression, I know, but the image management program should be capable of indexing images by colour.

John

 

[MarkNicholas]

Nope not me but it did get me onto thinking that the colour distribution could filtered out using filters; red > x%; blue < y% etc. That then got me on to thinking about being able to create custom filters where you could create your own filters. I know this sounds a bit like smart collections but if we were given access to more (all) photo information then the possibilities are endless. I would like some way of filtering out which photos have no sharpening but am not able to do so at the moment.

 

[clee01l]

[quote author=erro link=topic=9'19.msg6'788#msg6'788 date=1264452622]If I would do this, I'd settle for just one color: the dominant one. Green in the case of your bird-photo.
Another possible way would be to have two color-keywords: one for background and one for subject.

[/quote]This make the most sense. Even though the predominant keyword is green, it is the backgriund and not the most important. In the csae of this particular bird Yellow is probably the most important.

I'm thinking a color hierarchy
Color
===Background
===+===Blue
===+===Black
===+===Green
===Subject
===+===Red
===+===Black
===+===Yellow

 

[erro]

A color hierarchy like that is probably the way to go. But only you can tell if you need it. I have thought along those lines, but haven't really seen a situation where I want to search for color. But maybe you have the need?

 

[RikkFlohr]

This will come in handy if you ever work with a corporate decorator supplying images for color-coordinated rooms. I wish I had done this the last time I was asked for images to go with "macadamia" brown. How far do you take it though? How many shades of green are you going to distinguish.

Let me know how this works out and what you ultimately decide. Thanks.

 

[clee01l]

[quote author=RikkFlohr link=topic=9'19.msg6'875#msg6'875 date=1264531358]... How many shades of green are you going to distinguish.

Let me know how this works out and what you ultimately decide. Thanks.
[/quote]My Mom will only let me play with a box of 16 Crayolas. I think I will start with 16 background and foreground colors. My intention is ot only add color(s) keywords to selected images to facilitate searching for "Blue Bird" , "Blue Dragonfly", "Blue Background" (sky) etc.

 

[RikkFlohr]

4 Bit Color? Ouch.

Now if we only had a color eye-dropper that would create a color label by clicking...

 

[Denis Pagé]

[quote author=RikkFlohr link=topic=9'19.msg6'9'2#msg6'9'2 date=126454''34]
4 Bit Color? Ouch.

Now if we only had a color eye-dropper that would create a color label by clicking...
[/quote]

In fact, what would be the most interesting is to merge Kuler abilities into lightroom with some tweak from the ColorMunki. You can give Adobe's Kuler an image and it will spot main colors but ColorMunki also have the ability to give the pantone designations (as keywords?). Now for search you will have to give it a range little like for the magic wand in photoshop.

That would make it mostly fit a designer's need. But as a Football photographer, I sometimes forget a team's name (already in keywords) but remember well the players' suit colors... Lets see in Lightoom 6? :

Interesting idea anyway. By the way, what was the name of that aunt at the wedding with a purple dress?