> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs-7.phoenixlidar.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs-7.phoenixlidar.com/lidarmill-desktop/workflow-kk/colorization-of-point-clouds.md).

# Imagery and Colorization

## **Video Walkthrough**

{% embed url="<https://youtu.be/2tDxmSWx5Mg?t=118>" %}

### Extract Color From Camera Images

To colorize a loaded CLOUD file, select the **Colorize Cloud** tool by clicking on the paint bucket icon from the point cloud tools list:

![Opening Cloud Colorization tool ](/files/-M_XQLKMjQbMHdGiaCg3)

![Colorization menu](/files/adKgrXQReA02Ptv0jEEh)

The cloud colorizer has four modes of colorizing. These modes dictate which image(s) will be used to colorize a point: &#x20;

* **Distance**
* **Time**
* **Smooth** (requires Pro license)
* **Flashlight** (requires Pro license)

Several other parameters can be used to control the colorization:

**Clear Colorization**: clears any existing color values stored in the CLOUD file.&#x20;

**Fallback Colorization**: used when no image actually observes the point directly and colors point based on neighboring points.&#x20;

**Max GSD**: filters out images with large GSDs when searching for elligble images to colorize a point. Useful for preventing colorization by images very far away from a point.

**Min photo distance**: filters out images very close to a point when searching for elligble images to colorize a point. When colorizing mobile lidar data with Ladybug imagery, it's common for images very near to a point to contain the shadow of the vehicle itself, thus this parameter can be used to reject those images. &#x20;

**Smooth voxel size**: the side length of the voxel within which color smoothing will occur.&#x20;

### Depth Maps

Depth maps are raster height maps extracted from the point cloud, primarily used to detect occlusion and improve colorization strategy. A depth map is associated with a specific image and shares the same ground coverage as that image, however typically a depth map will down sampled substantially from the original image resolution.&#x20;

When colorizing a point with depth maps enabled, the distance from the camera receptor to the point will be compared to the distance from the receptor to the corresponding pixel in the depth map. This enables the colorizer to recognize whether a point is actually visible in a certain image or if there are obstructions in the way that could prevent proper colorization.&#x20;

**Depth map scale**: determines the resolution of a depth map in respect to the resolution of the associated image.&#x20;

**Depth map tolerance**: Allowable distance behind a photo's depth map value before the photo is rejected for colorization.