Universal scale laws for colors and patterns in imagery

Abstract

Distribution of colors and patterns in images is observed through cascades that adjust spatial resolution and dynamics. Cascades of colors reveal the emergent universal property that Fully Colored Images (FCIs) of natural scenes adhere to the debated continuous linear log-scale law (slope −2.00±0.01) (L1). Cascades of discrete 2×2 patterns are derived from pixel square reductions onto the seven unlabeled rotation-free textures (0000, 0001, 0011, 0012, 0101, 0102, 0123). They exhibit an unparalleled universal entropy maximum of 1.74±0.013 at some dynamics regardless of spatial scale (L2). Patterns also adhere to the Integral Fluctuation Theorem (1.00±0.01) (L3), pivotal in studies of chaotic systems. Images with fewer colors exhibit quadratic shift and bias from L1 and L3 but adhere to L2. Randomized Hilbert fractal FCIs better match the laws than basic-to-AI-based simulations. Those results are of interest in Neural Networks, out-of-equilibrium physics, and spectral imagery.