What is Auto Color Detect

Spectrum Auto Color Detect

Spectrum's new Auto Color Detect (ACD) feature does exactly as its name suggests―it correctly identifies color documents from bitonal documents automatically—without slowing down or stopping, while scanning is in process. Even if you only wish to scan a small number of your documents in color, the advantages ACD affords via uninterrupted performance are unmistakable, such as increased document capture productivity and lower storage requirements.

How Auto Color Detect Works

Auto Color Detect, also referred to as, “Automatic Color/Bitonal Switching,” automatically selects either color or bitonal output based upon image content. When enabled, the scanner measures the color content per page. Just because an image has color content doesn’t mean that it is meaningful enough to be output as a color image. Thus, users can set an “aggressiveness” threshold through the VRS interface on the host PC. Whether an image is captured in color is then based on whether the color content exceeds the threshold or not – if the color content exceeds the threshold, the image is captured in color and output to the PC in color; if not, the image is captured in bitonal and output to the PC in black & white. Another way to think about it is that the higher you set the aggressiveness threshold, the harder the scanner looks for color. See the figure below.

Additionally, in duplex scanning, the front and back pages will have independent color detection and output so that the front side may be captured in color and the backside in bitonal, or vice versa.

Compression and File Output

Bitonal images are typically compressed with CCITT Group IV compression and output to the PC as bitonal TIFFs. Likewise, color images are compressed with JPEG compression and output to the PC as JPEGs. When utilizing Auto Color Detect, users need to set their application to scan in Color output mode so that images are automatically output to color JPEGs and bitonal TIFFs based on their color content (as determined by the user’s color aggressiveness threshold). Additionally, users can set Output File Type to TIFF when scanning in color. This allows color images to be saved as color TIFFs even though they are still compressed with JPEG – the file actually is a JPEG compressed image with a JPEG header wrapped within a TIFF header. Users can also save all images in a batch to a single, multi-page TIFF that can have a mix of color and bitonal pages.

Auto Color Detect Thresholding

Depending on the variety of color documents and degree of confidence, users can set VRS to “trap” any images where the color content may be very close to the aggressiveness threshold and thus may need user intervention. Users can do this by setting not one but two Auto Color Detect aggressiveness thresholds through the VRS interface on the PC to determine if a document is color or bitonal. If the color content measured is less than the “Color Minimum”, the output will be bitonal. If the color content measured is more than the “Color Maximum”, the output will be color. If the color content measured is between these values, VRS will trap the image and allow the user to select either color or bitonal output for that specific image. See the figure below.

Small Color Object Detection

Like its name implies, this feature can detect a small amounts of color on an otherwise bitonal document, if that color is concentrated as a single object. Small Color Object Detection is intended to capture images in color for things like a highlighted text section or a small color signature with fine granularity. Otherwise, users would need to increase the Auto Color Detect aggressiveness threshold to a very high setting, which could result in false positives (documents with either bitonal or undesired color information being saved as color images). If you do not want to detect small color objects, this feature can easily be disabled.

Whether a small color object causes the entire image to be captured in color is based on whether the color content exceeds the additional Small Color Object “aggressiveness” threshold or not – if the color content of the small object exceeds the threshold, the image is captured in color and output to the PC in color; if not, the image is captured in bitonal and output to the PC in black & white. Another way to think about it is that the higher you set the aggressiveness threshold, the harder the scanner looks for small color objects.

Application and Driver Compatibility

ImageControls Applications

Auto Color Detect is compatible with all ImageControls applications, including software from AnyDoc, ReadSoft, Datacap, Doculex, FileNET, Kofax,LaserFiche, Liberty IMS, and Westbrook. For information on whether your application utilizes ImageControls, please contact your Independent Software Vendor (ISV). For information on ImageControls, please contact Kofax IP Technical Support at support@kofax.com or by phone at (949) 727-1733.

ISIS Applications

Auto Color Detect has limited compatibility with ISIS-based applications due to the way each application handles bitonal images when scanning in color mode. This limitation can be addressed by modifying the application to support the Auto Color Detect feature. This application limitation only exists with the Auto Color Detect feature. All other Spectrum features will work with ISIS-based applications.

Please contact your Value Added Reseller (VAR) or Independent Software Vendor (ISV) to discuss this software limitation. VARs and ISVs can contact Pixel Translations for detailed recommendations on how to modify the application to support Auto Color Detect. Pixel Translations Technical Support can be reached at support@pixtran.com or by phone at (408) 441-2260.

TWAIN Applications

Auto Color Detect is not yet compatible with TWAIN applications due to a limitation with the driver currently bundled with Kofax VirtualReScan (VRS). A solution is currently in progress and should be available in Spring 2005. This TWAIN limitation only exists with the Auto Color Detect feature. All other Spectrum features will work with TWAIN-based applications.

For more information about TWAIN compatibility with Auto Color Detect, please contact Tom Olsen, Böwe Bell + Howell Product Specialist, directly at (847) 423-7341.

Spectrum Drivers

The following drivers are included with all Spectrum scanners

• ImageControls – developed and certified by Kofax
• ISIS – developed and certified by Pixel Translations
• TWAIN – developed by Kofax