Recent developments in hyperspectral sensors allow to obtain high spectral and spatial resolutions that are close to the optical and physical structures of acquired surfaces. Consequently, hyperspectral imaging is used for its potential gain of accuracy. To preserve this metrological potential, generated bias, errors, and uncertainties must be managed at all subsequent processing levels. Based on the argument that a spectral image processing should avoid the linear approach, this study proposes several protocols for assessing the quality of spectral ordering relations. The protocols include considerations of theoretical properties to ensure result stability, in physical aspects of spectral processing to ensure the link to physical properties of materials, and experimental results using spectral images with physical ground truth to assess bias and errors. Full-band ordering relations are compared in order to find which satisfies all of the expected properties of a metrological spectral image processing.

Objective To provide an approach to facial contrast, analysing CIELAB colour differences (ΔEab,10∗) and its components in women's faces from two different ethnic groups, illuminated by modern white light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) or traditional illuminants recommended by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). Methods We performed spectrophotometric measurements of spectral reflectance factors on forehead and cheek of 87 young healthy women (50 Caucasians and 37 Orientals), plus five commercial red lipsticks. We considered a set of 10 white LED illuminants, representative of technologies currently available on the market, plus eight main illuminants currently recommended by the CIE, representative of conventional incandescent, daylight and fluorescent light sources. Under each of these 18 illuminants, we analysed the magnitude and components of ΔEab,10∗ between Caucasian and Oriental women (considering cheek and forehead), as well as for cheek–forehead and cheek–lipsticks in Caucasian and Oriental women. Colour‐inconstancy indices for cheek, forehead and lipsticks were computed, assuming D65 and A as reference illuminants. Results ΔEab,10∗ between forehead and cheek were quantitatively and qualitatively different in Orientals and Caucasians, but discrepancies with respect to average values for 18 illuminants were small (1.5% and 5.0% for Orientals and Caucasians, respectively). ΔEab,10∗ between Caucasians and Orientals were also quantitatively and qualitatively different both for forehead and cheek, and discrepancies with respect to average values were again small (1.0% and 3.9% for forehead and cheek, respectively). ΔEab,10∗ between lipsticks and cheek were at least two times higher than those between forehead and cheek. Regarding ΔEab,10∗ between lipsticks and cheeks, discrepancies with respect to average values were in the range 1.5–12.3%, although higher values of up to 54.2% were found for a white RGB LED. This white RGB LED provided the highest average colour‐inconstancy indices: 17.1 and 11.5 CIELAB units, under reference illuminants D65 and A, respectively. Conclusion Colour contrasts in women's faces under CIE standard illuminants for outdoor and indoor conditions may be strongly altered using specific white LEDs. More research needs to be performed on the impact of spectral power distribution of light sources with high colour rendering indices on visual colour appearance of cosmetic products.

A metrological extension of morphological granulometry for the hyperspectral domain is introduced in this work. This development is enabled by the latest study of a suitable ordering relation for hyperspectral images. With granulometry as a texture descriptor, a suitable similarity measure for it is also introduced. In addition to providing validation experiments to the extension, a preliminary result in a texture discrimination task can also be found in this work.