AbstractThe color image space with one kind of merit color image scales (WIP) is derived using the psychophysical method of magnitude estimation method, usually used in visual assessment of color appearance, which can be used to describe the color image meanings of colors of works of art in parallel with those of people. The results show that a new color image space HRU is developed, and the relativity between this space and the CIEL*a*b* color space is also discussed. And, a good relationship between the HRU color image space and the CIEL*a*b* color space can be found. This may be of great advantage to the new color image space HRU in predicting the color image for single color based on the color space CIEL*a*b*. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 452–457, 2009