A michromatic (microscope plus chromatic) scope is a device that enhances the color discrimination between two spectral color datasets. Three spectral filters are required. instead of the conventional red, green, and blue filters, for the implementation of a michromatic camera. In this study, we describe two approaches to the design of these filters: in the first case, the design is based on the direct optimization of the filter characteristics (transmittance), whereas in the second case, the design is based on the nonnegative tensor factorization (NTF) of the spectral datasets. A michromatic camera can be implemented using these filters along with compatible postprocessing in-camera firmware. Here, we performed experiments with two color datasets: one comprising skin and vein colors. and one comprising skin Laid cosmetics colors. These were further divided into a training set and a test set. The filters were defined using the training set, anal the operation of the filters was tested and magnified using the test set. Our experiments demonstrated that the proposed approaches are suitable for color discrimination. For the first color dataset, the enhancement produced using the optimized filters was up to 252% of the original value. and the average color difference Delta E Was increased from 2.82 to 9.93. NTF and preprocessing further enhanced the Delta E up to 21.84. For Me second color dataset, NTF and postprocessing enhanced the Delta E from 4.33 to 29.19. The proposed discrimination enhancement could be physically implemented in a designated digital charge-coupled device camera with proper filter installation and compatible post-processing. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl. 35, 101-109, 2010: Published online 7 January 2010 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI 10.1002/col.20563