Multicolor photometry and spectrophotometry of star-forming complexes in spiral and irregular galaxies for analyses of star-formation parameters. Data and reductions

Intermediate-band photometric measurements of star-forming complexes (SFCs) in six spiral and irregular galaxies are presented, and added to previousl y published multicolor data to form a master database. The old and new data have been reduced to a standard photometric system, and the accuracy of va rious color-index measurements compared. A total of 928 measurements of 569 SFCs in 49 galaxies are considered. The observed colors of SFCs-giant HII regions-in external galaxies are compared with theoretical (U-B)-(B-V), LCI -(U-B), and LCI-(B-V) diagrams for a wide range of star-formation parameter s (the observed colors were reduced to a single photometric system and corr ected for extinction). The presence of observational selection effects in t he data sample is demonstrated. The area occupied by theoretical evolutiona ry tracks is consistent with the observed distribution of colors for star-f orming complexes.