A number of different approaches have been presented recently addressing th
e issue of color texture analysis. Most of these methods are based on elabo
rate mathematical modeling, including auto/cross-correlation, random fields
, and Gabor multi-channel filtering. Furthermore, the computational require
ments of these approaches are usually high. A simple yet effective method f
or color texture classification is presented here. The method uses the CIE
xy chromaticity diagram of an image and a corresponding set of two-dimensio
nal and three-dimensional moments to characterize a given color texture. Ch
romaticity is, thus, described by its two-dimensional shape, i.e., the chro
maticity diagram, along with the associated two-dimensional distribution of
chromaticity values. Using only a small number of moments the method achie
ves hit rates of over 90%. The method has been applied to the recognition o
f granite and marble images. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese
rved.