USGS MIPS Colorcode Documentation

USGS MIPS Colorcode Documentation

This program is one of the X Windows applications that can be executed under the Applications pull-down menu in VISTA. COLORCODE allows a user to interactively color-code a black and white image . In the color-coding of an image, DN s are assigned colors based on user input. This interaction between the user and COLORCODE/Vista does not change the DNs in the original image but allows the user to see the color-coding of the image on the screen.

Once a color-code is found that is satisfactory to the user, stretches for the red, green and blue channels can be viewed and saved(see the STRETCH option under the Show pull-down menu and the Save Stretches option under the File pull-down menu in VISTA). With these stretches, the program APPLYSTR can then be used to create the images necessary for the creation of a color composite. When created, this color composite will then be identical to the color-code as seen on VISTA. Note that the image to be color-coded must be loaded into VISTA before executing this application.

Options

This pull-down menu allows the user to select options used in color-coding an image. There are currently two modes in which an image can be color-coded, these are the automatic and manual color-coding. For more information on any of these two color-coding options, select the apropriate link below.

Automatic Color-Coding
Manual Color-Coding

Along with selecting one of these options, the user may also define a minimum and maximum dn range to be used in the color-coding process.

Min/Max Dn Range

This dialog box will appear with two boxes used as input for a minimum dn and maximum dn values. These options allow the user to define min and max values for the image instead of using the default one and ninety nine percent values automatically selected by the program. The min and max values are used by the automatic options to determine what DN ranges actually get color coded. All DN values less than the MIN or greater than the MAX values are assigned black and white, respectively. A button will also be displayed that allows the user to select whether to use the current min/max values as defaults for the next image. These defaults will be used for color-coding other images that can be loaded after the current image.

Automatic Color-Coding Option

This option allows the user to automatically color-code an image. Automatically color-coding an image, allows the user to interactively color-code the entire image at once.

Method

This selection box allows the user to select the method to use in the color-coding of the image.

By Dn

In color-coding an image by dn, COLORCODE assigns a different color to every range of X dns starting at the min dn and ending at the max dn.
By Percent

In color-coding an image by percent, COLORCODE assigns a different color to every range of X percent starting at the min dn and ending at the max dn.
Continuous

Color-coding an image continuously allows the specified DN range be color-coded starting with the first color and advancing through the color spectrum.

Table

This selection box allows the user to select the color table to be used in assigning colors.

Shade

The SHADE table contains COLORCODE's predefined colors in the format of light shade first, medium second, and dark third. For example, the sequence might be light blue, medium blue, dark blue, light green, medium green, dark green and so on. The Shade table is useful when a more gradual change between colors is desired and is usually a better choice if many colors are to be used. The following are the names associated with the colors currently available: Violet, Magenta, Purple, Blue, Turquoise, Cyan, Aqua, Green, Olive, Yellow, Tan, Brown, Orange, Red, Burgundy, Pink and Ivory.
Color

The COLOR table contains the identical predefined colors as the SHADE table; however, they are stored in a different sequence. The Color table has all the light colors grouped first, then all the medium colors, and finally all the dark colors. For example, a sequence might be light blue, light green, light red, medium blue, medium red, medium green, dark blue, dark green and dark red. The Color table is useful when a user wants adjacent colors to h ave large contrast differences. Also, this choice is usually better than the Shade color table if only a few colors are to be used.

Number of Colors

Using the left and right arrow buttons, the user may select the number of colors to be used in the color-coding of an image. The sliding box may also be selected and moved left and right where moving it to the left decreases the number of colors and vice-versa.

Starting Color

Using the left and right arrow buttons, the user may select the color within the table that will be assigned to the min dn value. As seen in the color table, colors at the beginning of the color table are assigned to dn closest to the min dn while dns closest to the max dn end are assigned colors at the end of the color table.

Apply

Selecting this button allows COLORCODE to apply the current settings to the image.

Color Table

This color table is used as a reference to the user. It charts the colors currently associated with each dn value in the image. For an unsigned 8-bit image, these values start at 0 on the left(black in color) and end with 255 on the right end of the table(white in color) with shades of grey inbetween. Once a color is applied to the image, this table is updated with the color applied to the dn values reflecting the current colors being used in the color-code.

Manual Color-Coding Option

This option allows the user to color-code an image specifically on a DN by DN basis. Manually color-coding an image, allows the user to select a color to be assigned to a user selected DN or DN range. To manually color-code an image, the user first selects a color to be applied to the image; then defines a DN or DN range to color-code; finally applies the color to the image. If the user changes their mind on the color that has just been applied, selecting the Normalize button with the same DN or DN range in the Range input box will return the affected dns back to their original DN values.

Color

The name of a color along with a box displaying it can be viewed by clicking on the left and right arrow buttons. Clicking on the left arrow button scrolls backwards through the list of colors available to COLORCODE while clicking on the right arrow button scrolls forward. Once the user decides on a color to apply to the image, a dn or dn range needs to be specified.
Range

This input box identified by the title "Range", is used to specify a dn or dn range to apply the currently chosen color to. Simply entering a dn value by itself will allow COLORCODE to apply the selected color to dns in the image with the same value as the one entered. Entering a dn range such as "50-130" allows COLORCODE to apply the selected color to all the dns between 50 and 130 in the image. Note that entering "-50" applies the selected color to all the dns between 0 and 50 in the image.
Normalize

Selecting this button allows COLORCODE to normalize the Dn or Dns specified in the Range input box back to their original Dn values. If the user wishes to quickly normalize the entire image, select the Reset button from the Stretch control panel in VISTA.
Apply

Selecting this button allows COLORCODE to apply the currently selected color to the Dn or Dns as specified in the Range input box to the image.
Color Table

This color table is used as a reference to the user. It charts the colors currently associated with each dn value in the image. For an unsigned 8-bit image, these values start at 0 on the left(black in color) and end with 255 on the right end of the table(white in color) with shades of grey inbetween. Once a color is applied to the image, this table is updated with the color applied to the dn values reflecting the current colors being used in the color-code.

Exiting Colorcode

Selecting the "Exit" item from the file pull-down menu will cause this program to terminate.