The most effective way to define color involves mathematical principles, particularly through the use of complex models called color spaces. These geometric frameworks anchor colors as fixed points we can reference, ensuring the blue I see matches the blue you see. However, as someone who isn’t adept at math, all these calculations can seem quite intimidating.
The silver lining is that computing software can handle these intricate calculations for us, allowing us to focus on selecting colors that visually appeal to us. Conversely, there’s a daunting variety of color spaces available, each optimized for different applications, such as web design, photography, video editing, and physical printing. Choosing the wrong one at any stage—be it creation, editing, or viewing—can significantly alter the colors you intend to showcase.
It can feel overwhelming, but fortunately, most people only need to grasp the basics, which can be beneficial for everyone, not just creative professionals. This foundational knowledge can assist you in purchasing your next phone, TV, laptop, or monitor, enhancing your overall viewing experience.
The first step is to understand the distinctions between a color model, a color space, and a color gamut. A color model refers to the system used to define how colors are represented. Here are some examples:
– CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key): This model aligns with color wheel theory, where combining these colors (with black as the ‘key’) in varying amounts helps achieve a range closer to human-visible colors compared to the traditional RYB (Red, Yellow, Blue) model used by painters. Both are considered “subtractive color mixing,” as they calculate color by subtracting the amount of light that can pass through dyes, inks, or paints. This is why paper is typically white; printing and dyeing on lighter bases yield more vivid colors. While CMY can achieve black through layering, including black in the model is practical for printers to avoid wasteful ink usage.
– RGB (Red, Green, Blue): This additive color model is used in electronic devices, as it adds light of varying frequencies to a black background rather than subtracting it. Since black is the absence of light, older display technologies struggled with true blacks until advancements like OLED allowed each pixel to have its own light source.
– HSL / HSB / HSV (Hue, Saturation, Lightness / Brightness / Value): Familiar to anyone adjusting colors in software like Adobe Photoshop, HSL is more human-readable than RGB. It allows users to manipulate colors easily. Hue indicates the color’s tone on a wheel measured in degrees, saturation measures the intensity from vibrant to grayscale, and lightness/brightness/value quantifies how dark or light the color is, from zero percent (black) to 100 percent (white).
Across these three examples, you can see what characterizes a color model: multiple ways to create specific colors exist, but some methods are more effective for certain tasks, whether that’s dyeing fabric, printing labels, or color-correcting footage. Think of them as various paths leading to the same destination.
Color spaces, built on these color models, specify a particular range of displayable colors, typically aligned with the limitations of the applications they’re designed for, like the screens of monitors and TVs. They exist because colors are like math—countless small adjustments to colors can be made, but this would require extensive calculations and would be unnecessary since some colors aren’t perceivable by the human eye. The CIE 1931 XYZ color space, developed to replicate colors according to human perception, has laid the groundwork for almost all contemporary color spaces.
