Understanding color models

Color models provide a precise method for defining colors, each model defining colors through the use of specific color components. There is a range of color models to choose from when creating graphics.

CMYK color model

The CMYK color model, which is used in printing, uses the components cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) to define color. Values for these components range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages.

In subtractive color models, such as CMYK, color (that is, ink) is added to a surface, such as white paper. The color then "subtracts" brightness from the surface. When the value of each color component (C,M,Y) is 100, the resulting color is black. When the value of each component is 0, no color is added to the surface, so the surface itself is revealed — in this case, the white paper. Black (K) is included in the color model for printing purposes because black ink is more neutral and darker than blending equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Black ink produces sharper results, especially for printed text. In addition, black ink is usually less expensive than using colored ink.

Black is the result of combining the three CMY colors at their highest intensities.

RGB color model

The RGB color model uses the components red (R), green (G), and blue (B) to define the amounts of red, green, and blue light in a given color. In a 24-bit image, each component is expressed as a number from 0 to 255. In an image with a higher bit rate, such as a 48-bit image, the value range is greater. The combination of these components defines a single color.

In additive color models, such as RGB, color is produced from transmitted light. RGB is therefore used on monitors, where red, blue, and green lights are blended in various ways to reproduce a wide range of colors. When red, blue, and green lights are combined at their maximum intensities, the eye perceives the resulting color as white. In theory, the colors are still red, green, and blue, but the pixels on a monitor are too close together for the eye to differentiate the three colors. When the value of each component is 0, which signifies an absence of light, the eye perceives the color as black.

White is the result of combining the three RGB colors at their maximum intensities.

RGB is the most commonly used color model, because it allows a broad range of colors to be stored and displayed.

HSB color model

The HSB color model uses hue (H), saturation (S), and brightness (B) as components for defining color. HSB is also known as HSV (with the components hue, saturation, and value). Hue describes the pigment of a color and is expressed in degrees to represent the location on the standard color wheel. For example, red is 0 degrees, yellow is 60 degrees, green is 120 degrees, cyan is 180 degrees, blue is 240 degrees, and magenta is 300 degrees.

Saturation describes the vividness or dullness of a color. Values of saturation range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages (the higher the value, the more vivid the color). Brightness describes the amount of white in the color. Like saturation values, brightness values range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages (the higher the value, the brighter the color).

HSB color model

Grayscale color model

The grayscale color model defines color by using only one component, lightness, which is measured in values ranging from 0 to 255. Each grayscale color has equal values of the red, green, and blue components of the RGB color model. Changing a color photo to grayscale creates a black-and-white photo.

Grayscale color model

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