Bridging real and virtual in XR editing: Color extraction and contextual placement

This study introduces an extended reality (XR)-based interactive editing framework that allows users to sample colors directly from the physical world, apply them to virtual content, and register the results within the real environment. Existing augmented reality (AR) systems often suffer from scanning delays and low color fidelity, while virtual reality (VR) systems rely on predefined palettes that limit contextual creativity. Recent mixed reality (MR) authoring environments improve spatial continuity but still provide limited support for user-driven acquisition and direct editing of real-world colors or materials. To address these issues, we designed a cyclical interaction loop——sense, edit, display, and register——that integrates real-world color sampling, 2D canvas editing, 3D result display, and spatial registration. We have evaluated the framework through three complementary studies: a within-subject comparison of AR, VR, and XR workflows, an XR ablation study, and a technical evaluation of reference-based color reproduction and XR sampling behavior. Findings showed that XR was associated with lower perceived workload and higher creativity support ratings than the scan-based AR workflow. Although XR showed longer task completion time than VR in the descriptive task time results, it received higher creativity support ratings and stronger hedonic-quality responses. Interviews emphasized the novelty and intuitiveness of sampling real-world colors and seeing them immediately reflected in physical space. These results suggest that XR's strengths are associated with the integration of real-world color sampling and contextual alignment in a unified creative experience. The proposed framework informs future XR authoring tools and possible applications in stage design, exhibition prototyping, and creative education.