Properties of Dyes for Painting with Spectroscopy in the Visible and Near Infrared Range

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This is an interesting work. Two groups of colorants are studied by spectroscopy to extend the paintings to the infrared spectrum. The structure of the paper was reasonable, and the prospect was put forward based on the research status. Some issues need to be solved and minor revision is necessary for publication on Applied Sciences. The detailed comments are as follows:

1.    The title of the article is too broad and should be revised.

2.    In the abstract, keywords and text, many abbreviations are used; the reader may not be familiar with them. Abbreviations appearing for the first time in the article should provide the full name.

3.    In the Introduction, what is the current research status of near-infrared painting in other articles? This section should be added.

4.    Line 61, what is the "ΔE" algorithm? More explanations or formulas should be provided.

5.    Figures 1, 2 and 3 should be put together for better comparison.

6.    The instrument, model and manufacturer of spectrum test shall be provided.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

1. Abstract is not structured.

2. Literature review, motivation and outline of the article are missing in the introduction section.

3. Huge grammatical and typographical mistakes have been found in the article.

4. Novelty of the work is not clear in the article.

5. Conclusion of the article is extremely poor.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors developed a new method to separate colors from the visual red, green, and blue record of digital images to Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Carbon Black colorants for the application of infrared image reproduction and fine art monographs. The research in this paper is relatively fascinating, and the results are of modest length and have some reporting value. Nonetheless, there are several concerns in this manuscript that need to be addressed carefully. As a result of these considerations, I can only consent to have this work published in Applied Sciences after major revisions.

1. The authors clearly present the differences between the visible and near infrared spectrums in the paper. Except for the development of a new form of painting, the uses of the large difference between the visible and the NIR spectrum should be thoroughly enumerated.

2. We believe the authors should provide information about the mechanism of mixing different painting dyes to produce new Z values.

3. The article's structure must be revised. The VZ painting's twofold replication material is the major focus of the research and should be regarded as the principal part of the article.

4. The synthesis method of the colorant should be specified.

5. Please enhance your writing skills in English.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Authors presented color indexing based using spectroscopical data. The paper utilizes the concept of coloration. 

However, there are minor issues that needs to be revised by the authors.

1. Discussion should also include Lambda max values, as it will provide more insights about the spectrophotometry to the readers. If possible, tabulate these values in a table form.

2. Incorporate the previous studies which are similar in nature.

3. A table should be presented in the end including the important results as it is hard to keep track the information.

The manuscript can be considered in the current journal if author agrees to address above mentioned points.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comment 1 is complied

comment 2 is not complied

 Comment 3 is partly complied (Grammatical and typographical mistakes are still there)

Novelty of the work is still missing

Authors have written prolonged conclusion. However as per my opinion conclusion should be short and crisp.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

The authors included all my suggestions how to improve the manuscript into the revised version of the paper. I recommend publication. The paper may be accepted as it is, without any further changes.

Author Response

The authors express their gratitude for the comments received.