Color Dilemma in Digital Era and Innovative Application of AI-Generated Content (AIGC) Large Color Models

In the digital era, the dilemma of color reproduction not only troubles museums and artists but also permeates our daily lives. Have you ever encountered the following situations? A sunset captured on a phone appears different when printed, or a haze-blue sofa purchased online becomes a blue-gray one with a greenish tint upon receipt. These phenomena of color distortion mirror the interplay between the two major color rendering principles: light color and object color.

1 | The root of the color dilemma

The Milkmaid, a masterpiece housed in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, once circulated varying colors on the Internet for its digital reproductions, sparking significant debate. In response, the Rijksmuseum initiated the Color Memory Project, conducting nanoscale spectral sampling of paintings with spectrophotometers. However, it was ultimately discovered that color discrepancies still appeared when the data was transmitted across different media. This phenomenon of color distortion across media also occurs in the field of design. Designers create works on screens, but they are usually confronted with the color dilemma of stunning design on screen and disappointing design in printing during the transition from electronic drafts to physical printing.

▲  The reproductions of The Milkmaid in different colors

The digital-physical color gap essentially lies in the fundamental difference in color rendering principles between light color and object color. The former follows the additive process, mixing red, green, and blue (RGB) primary colors through self-illumination to generate colors. The latter follows the subtractive process, relying on the overlay of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) inks to absorb specific light waves. Coupled with the influence of material properties, printing process, and other variables, how to bridge the color gamut difference between RGB and CMYK has become a critical technical challenge for transformation of design results.

2 | Innovative applications of AIGC large color models

In the field of printing, color is the soul, the key to conveying information and emotions. With technological advancements, the printing industry is embracing a new revolution - the application of AIGC large color models. This innovative technology not only enables more accurate color reproduction, but also greatly enhances the quality and efficiency of printed objects through digital control.

To this end, the Tsinghua (Qingdao) Academy of Arts and Science Innovation Research (TASA) and Printer Cybertech (Qingdao) Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (Printer Cybertech) have jointly established the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA, in an effort to promote the research and application of AIGC large color models in the printing field. By collecting and analyzing color reproduction problems faced by printing users in various application scenarios, the laboratory aims to develop solutions and provide a data foundation for realizing consistency between printed objects and electronic drafts.

3 | Industrial transformation driven by industry-university-research cooperation

The Key Technologies and Industrial Applications for Full-Chain High-Fidelity Color Reproduction is an industry-university-research project launched by the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA and Printer Cybertech, which represents China's first innovative topic to get through the full chain of color management-color emotion-user preference. It not only focuses on high-fidelity conversion algorithms across RGB-CMYK color spaces but also innovatively introduces consumer psychology and visual perception theory, thus establishing a multi-dimensional and interconnected technical framework.

SONG Wenwen, Director of the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA, stated that the launch of this project fills the gap in systematic research from scientific principles to industrial implementation in the field of color technology in China. What they do is to solve technical problems and even build a deep connection model between color expression and human emotional needs, allowing for an organic unity of technical rationality and user sensibility in color applications in the digital era.

▲ SONG Wenwen, Director of the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA

At the Designing the Future, Living the Century series events hosted by TASA, ZHANG Dong, Chairman of Printer Cybertech, delivered a keynote speech titled Digital Breakthroughs in the Printing Industry - The Revolution in Color Management, pointing out that the printing industry will achieve key technological breakthroughs through industry-university-research cooperation. Additionally, Printer Cybertech will work together with the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA to establish a cloud platform for digital color management, replacing manual evaluation with intelligent monitoring and control systems, developing localized color standards based on Chinese color samples, and thereby enhancing both printing quality and international competitiveness.

▲ ZHANG Dong, Chairman of Printer Cybertech

According to JIANG Li, Chief Design Expert of Printer Cybertech, there are three major pain points in the printing industry: long development cycles for new products, poor color consistency, and loss of digital assets. To address these challenges, the company has launched full-chain digital solutions: establishing an AI-driven design cloud platform and a structural design library and reducing the design cycle by 30%; setting up a standardized proofing center and building a full-process color management system; and creating a collaboration platform covering brand owners, designers, and printing factories to enable centralized cloud management of file assets and real-time tracking of production data.

▲ JIANG Li, Chief Design Expert of Printer Cybertech

4 | Future prospects

Amid the wave of deep industry-university-research integration, the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA and Printer Cybertech are reshaping the future pattern of the printing industry. By establishing a localized color standard system and an intelligent full-chain management platform, this industrial transformation grounded in science and centered on culture, is bridging the color gap between the digital and physical worlds.

Meanwhile, with the continuous advancement of applications for AIGC large color models, we are confident that the fusion of printing and color will present more brilliant outcomes. This collaboration not only brings revolutionary technological breakthroughs to the printing industry, but also pioneers broad prospects for precise reproduction and digital control of color in printing.

Faced with the color dilemma in the digital era, the application of AIGC large color models undoubtedly provides us with a groundbreaking path. In the future, as technology continues to advance and application scenarios expand, color will no longer be a variable that is difficult to control but will become a powerful tool for conveying emotions and information.

Introduction to the Laboratory

Building on the thirteen-year legacy of in-depth color research pioneered by the Colour&Imaging Institute, Art&Science Research Centre, Tsinghua University, the Color Design and Application Laboratory of TASA upholds a commitment to integrating theory and practice in high-level color art, design, science, technology and psychology. With a strong emphasis on industry-university-research collaboration, the Laboratory prioritizes the technological transformation, application, and development of color research within industrial contexts. It aspires to set authoritative color standards for the industry while providing a vibrant platform for designer exchanges and the showcasing of achievements.