With linear YCBCR space and Reinhard’s statistical color transfer strategy,a color transfer method for image fusion,named YCBCR color transfer method,is proposed to produce a fused image with a natural daytime color appearance. This approach has low computational complexity,and is very suitable for color image fusion. Furthermore,it facilitates enhancing the luminance contrast of the color fused image by replacing the luminance component of the color fused image with the high-contrast grayscale fused image. This paper mathematically proves that color spaces conforming to the general YCBCR space framework,such as YUV space,can be used as an alternative to YCBCR space in color transfer. Experimental results demonstrate that the YCBCR color transfer method is able to give color fused image a natural daytime color appearance,and has better capability of recoloring color fused image than the Reinhard’s approach.