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Digital representation of color fading: One of the greatest challenges in the interpretation of fading test results is assessing how significant and disfiguring the predicted fading will be on a specific object. The fading tests produce very precise numerical values for fading that are extremely difficult to visualize. Creating a digital image whose colors have been altered according to their measured fading behavior, portrays the appearance of an artifact after further light exposure. Presenting the faded colors in the context of an image illustrates more clearly the potential severity of the fading damage.
The images above, a print of Pablo Picasso's "Woman with a Flower," were digitally rendered using the CIELab results recorded during light exposure tests of tiny spots, using the micro-fading tester. The image on the left is before fading has occurred while the image on the right shows the fading of the fugitive colors and how the color balance of the image is affected as fading progresses. One can also generate severely faded images of an object to asses the end of its exhibition "life," and thus obtain an estimate of the total light exposure dose that must be apportioned in a rational exhibition policy. This pictorial data presentation is useful to curators and conservators as they make exhibition decisions for light-sensitive artifacts. We are continuing to apply digital imaging techniques to further understand the fading of artifacts under visible illumination. For more
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