Patent ID: 7650018

Claim:
A yarn image creation method for creating a color image of yarn having translucent fluff, comprising the steps of: storing, on a computer-readable medium, color input images A, C of the yarn captured optically at least twice using different background images (G1, G2); solving X and D in the system of equations A=G 1+( X−G 1) D C=G 2+( X−G 2) D wherein X is a color image of the yarn itself and D is a yarn opacity image; changing the value of D to 0 for pixels in which the value of D is not greater than a first predetermined value, and to 1 for pixels in which the value of D is not smaller than a second predetermined value, the yarn opacity image D being 1 in pixels where the yarn is totally opaque, and being 0 in pixels where the yarn is totally transparent; and storing the obtained color image X of the yarn itself and the yarn opacity image D as a yarn color image (X,D) on a computer-readable medium.