Nov 29, 2018 | By Thomas
Which is the most exact way to assure accurate color reproduction of an Art piece? A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) proposed a system called RePaint for reproduction of paintings, which uses a combination of 3D printing and deep learning to authentically recreate favorite paintings — regardless of different lighting conditions or placement.
[Image: MIT CSAIL]
Traditionally, the color reproduction of paintings is carried out using 2D printers. However, they have severe shortcomings for high-fidelity color reproduction as 2D printers have a fixed set of just four inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). The researchers found a better way to capture a fuller spectrum of Degas and Dali. They used a special technique they call “color-contoning,” which involves using a 3D printer and 10 different transparent inks stacked in very thin layers, much like the wafers and chocolate in a Kit-Kat bar. They combined their method with a decades-old technique called half-toning, where an image is created by lots of little colored dots rather than continuous tones. Combining these, the team says, better captured the nuances of the colors.
To test RePaint, the team reproduced a number of oil paintings created by an artist collaborator. The team found that RePaint was more than four times more accurate than state-of-the-art physical models at creating the exact color shades for different artworks.
At this time the AI and layering method is too time-consuming, limiting the reproductions to the size of a business card. The system also couldn’t completely reproduce certain colors like cobalt blue due to a limited ink library. With a larger color scope to work with, the question of what inks to use for which paintings still remained. Instead of using more laborious physical approaches, the team trained a deep-learning model to predict the optimal stack of different inks. Once the system had a handle on that, they fed in images of paintings and used the model to determine what colors should be used in what particular areas for specific paintings. They also can hope to achieve better detail to account for aspects like surface texture and reflection, so that they can achieve specific effects such as glossy and matte finishes.
The scientists are confident they will be able to fix all these problems in the future, when more advanced, commercial 3D printers could help with making larger paintings more efficiently.
Lily original (top) and reproduction (bottom). [Image: MIT CSAIL]
According to researchers, RePaint could be used to remake artwork for a home, protect originals from wear and tear in museums, or even help companies create prints and postcards of historical pieces.
“If you just reproduce the color of a painting as it looks in the gallery, it might look different in your home,” says Changil Kim, one of the authors on a new paper about the system, which will be presented at ACM SIGGRAPH Asia in December. “Our system works under any lighting condition, which shows a far greater color reproduction capability than almost any other previous work.”
“The value of fine art has rapidly increased in recent years, so there’s an increased tendency for it to be locked up in warehouses away from the public eye,” said mechanical engineer Mike Foshey. “We’re building the technology to reverse this trend, and to create inexpensive and accurate reproductions that can be enjoyed by all.”
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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