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Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
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Main Basic Color Theory for the Desktop

Light & Color
Reproducing consistent color can be the most difficult part of the design
Light & Matter and production process. Yet it's often something that gets taken for
granted until a proof or the final output reveals that you didn't get the
Human Vision colors you expected: The bright red apple that you photographed,
scanned, and placed in PageMaker has lost some of its luster, and
Variables you're perplexed at why this should be.
Unfortunately, it's natural. You can't get the apple on your printed page
to look like the apple you hold in your hand. It can look similar, but not
the same, and it's all due to the nature of color and the processes used
to reproduce it.
The phenomenon of seeing color is dependent on a triad of factors: the

nature of light, the interaction of light and matter, and the physiology
of human vision. Each factor plays a vital part and the absence of any
one would make seeing color impossible.
In broad terms, we see color when a light source that emits a particular
distribution of differently colored wavelengths of light strikes a colored
object. The object reflects (or transmits) that light in another particular
distribution of colored wavelengths, which is then received by the
photoreceptors of the human eye. The photoreceptors are sensitive to
yet another particular distribution of wavelengths of light, which is sent
as a stimulus to the brain, causing us to perceive a particular color:
These aspects are further explained in the sections below:
Light and Color

The nature of light, its natural and artificial sources, and how it
contains the colors we see.
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Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
Light and Matter

How matter affects light by reflecting, transmitting, and/or absorbing
certain wavelengths.
Human Vision
The physiology of how we see and interpret color.
Perception Variables
The factors that further affect how we see colors.
This guide is intended as a general background to other technical

guides that cover more specific aspects of color management systems,
and color management in Adobe Photoshop 5.0 and Adobe Illustrator
8.0:
• "Color Management Systems"
• "Color Models"
• "Color Management in Adobe Photoshop 5.0"
• "Color Management Workflows for Photoshop 5.0"
• "Color Management in Adobe Illustrator 8.0.x"
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Light and Color - Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
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Main Color Theory for the Desktop

The Nature of Light and Color
Light & Color
Light & Matter Light is electromagnetic (EM) radiation, the fluctuations of electric and
magnetic fields in nature. More simply, light is energy and the
Human Vision phenomenon of color is a product of the interaction of energy and
matter. As a reasonable starting place for discussing color, we need to
Variables take a brief look at the physics of light and the particular nature of light
sources.
Light has the properties of both particles and waves. Light particles,
called photons, radiate from their source in a wave pattern at a
constant speed of 186,000 miles per second. Like waves in the ocean,
light waves have a crest and a trough. They are measured by
wavelength, the distance between two crests (in meters or, sometimes,
in ångstroms which are 1/100,000,000th of a meter), and by
amplitude, the vertical distance between the crest and the trough.
Other ways of measuring EM radiation are by frequency (measured in

hertz or cycles per second) and energy (measured in electron volts).
Shorter wavelengths are higher frequency and higher energy; longer
wavelengths have lower frequencies and lower energy.
There are different types of EM radiation including gamma rays, x-rays,

radio waves, ultraviolet, and infrared. The whole array of these is
known as the electromagnetic spectrum, which runs in order of
wavelength from longest (radio waves that range from 1 millimeter to
several kilometers) to shortest (gamma rays at less than 0.1
nanometers, or 1/10,000,000,000th of a meter).
The human eye is only sensitive to EM radiation at wavelengths that

range roughly between 780 nanometers and 380 nanometers. This
small segment is called the visible spectrum or visible light. This is
usually what we mean when we speak of "light" (though, properly
speaking, all EM radiation is light). Infrared lies just below red light;
ultraviolet exists just above violet light. Both are invisible to humans
and other creatures (though some reptiles can see infrared and some
insects can see ultraviolet).
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The visible spectrum contains numerous colors that are distinguished

by wavelength and amplitude; wavelength determines color and
amplitude determines brightness. Of these colors, the human eye can
distinguish about 10,000. The visible spectrum, however, is often
identified by the seven prominent colors we see in the rainbow. In
1666, Isaac Newton named these colors red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, indigo, and violet, which are often referred to by the mnemonic
acronym ROY G BIV.
More commonly, however, the spectrum is arranged in order of

wavelength, shortest to longest, and divided into segments identified
as violet (380-450nm), blue (450-490nm), green (490-560nm), yellow
(560-590nm), orange (590-630), and red (630-780):
The combination of these light waves produces white light, which is

what we see from the Sun and from most artificial light sources. A
breakdown of the individual colors themselves is only visible under
certain circumstances. This occurs naturally in a rainbow; it also occurs
when white light is refracted through a prism. In fact, it was by
experimenting with a prism in 1666 that Newton conclusively proved
that what we see in these refractions are the constituent colors of white
light; that is, that white light is not homogeneous (as had been
previously supposed), but a composite of myriad-colored wavelengths.
Light Sources
Light comes from a variety of sources. Because color depends on the
reflection of light from an object, the nature of the light source is of the
utmost importance. The most obvious light source in our experience is
the sun; other obvious sources include flame and various kinds of
electric lamps. There are still others that might not be as obvious, such
as the phosphors that make sea foam glow.
We have already characterized light as energy. In general, then, any

process that emits, re-emits, or conducts energy in sufficient amounts
produces light. The most common means are the following:
• Incandescence
Solids or liquids heated to 1000 K or greater emit light. The sun is a
natural incandescent source (at about 5800 K on the surface), so is
a candle flame. The most common man-made source is the tungsten
filament light bulb at about 2854 K.

• Gas Discharge
Gases emit light when an electric current passes through them. The
nature of the light depends on the gas used as the conductor. The
gas is typically at very low density to facilitate conduction, though
variations in the density of the gas changes the nature of the light
produced. Common types of gas discharge sources are sodium,
mercury, and xenon lamps.
• Photoluminescence
Phosphors are substances that absorb and then re-emit light. In
doing so they change the nature of the absorbed light. When the re-
emission takes place concurrent with the absorption, the source is
called florescent; when the re-emission continues after the light is
no longer being absorbed, it is called phosphorescent. The obvious
example of a photoluminescent source is a florescent lighting tube
(which is actually a mercury lamp coated inside with phosphors).
Other, more obscure, means of producing light come from chemical

reactions (producing light but no heat) or other means of exciting
solids, liquids, and phosphors such as electric conduction and
bombardment with electrons. None of these, however, are commonly
encountered as light sources.
Illuminants
It is important to note at this point that color scientists use theoretical
sources to determine the chromaticity, or colorfulness, of light as well
as real sources. These model sources are called blackbodies or
Planckian radiators (after Max Planck, the German physicist who
developed Planck's Law, a formula for determining the spectral power
distribution of a light source based on its temperature). The term
source is used in color theory to identify a physical source of light, such
as a light bulb. For theoretical models, the term used is illuminant.
Light sources, whether actual sources or illuminants, are primarily

characterized by their color temperature and spectral power
distribution.
Color Temperature
Color temperature refers to the heat of a light source. As color
temperatures vary, so does the makeup of the light in terms of the
relative power of its constituent wavelengths.
Color temperature is always measured in kelvins, units of measurement

on the Kelvin scale (noted as K). The system was developed in 1848 by
Lord Kelvin (William Thomson) to measure absolute temperature. Each
unit on the Kelvin scale is equivalent to one degree celsius. Kelvins can
be converted to degrees celsius by subtracting 273.13 and to degrees
fahrenheit by subtracting 459.6.
Spectral Power Distribution

Spectral power distribution refers to the wavelengths that make up the
light emitted from a source or illuminant at a particular color
temperature. Those with cooler color temperatures emit the longer
wavelengths (red to yellow) in stronger amounts than the shorter
wavelengths (blue to violet). Hotter blackbodies emit all wavelengths in
more equal distributions, though tending to be slightly stronger in the
blue to violet wavelengths.
The following graphs represent the spectral power distributions for a

standard CIE source and illuminant:

Compare these to representations of the spectral power distributions of

average daylight and a normal florescent light source:
Note how the florescent source is relatively low in terms of relative

power as compared to CIE Source A (a tungsten-filament bulb) and
average daylight and how it's relative power spikes sharply at certain
wavelengths. These spikes are also typical of gas-discharge lamps.
Objects seen in "hotter" light will appear more vibrantly colored than
objects seen in "cooler" light. Blues seen in cool light will appear
darker, greens appear more yellow, and purples redder because of the
lower intensity of the blue-violet wavelengths of the spectrum.

Photometry
Photometry is the measurement of the attributes of light, though it is
more commonly used to refer to measuring its intensity or flux.
Luminous intensity, or luminance, refers to the amount of energy in a
light source and is measured in units called candelas. Luminous flux, or
the amount of light radiating from a source, is measured in units called
lumens. Both of these units are fairly complex. In simplified form:
One candela is the intensity of the light radiating from 1/50th of a

square centimeter of the surface of a blackbody heated to 2046K.
One lumen is equal to the flow of light radiating from a source whose
intensity is equal to one candela.


Light and Matter - Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
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The Interaction of Light and Matter
Light & Color
Light & Matter The nature of light and the visible spectrum are only one part of what's
needed for us to see color. The second part of the triad has to do with
Human Vision the interaction of light and matter, for when we see an object as blue
or red or purple, what we're really seeing is a partial reflection of light
Variables from that object. The color we see is what's left of the spectrum after
part of it is absorbed by the object.
First, let's look at the general properties of light interacting with

matter. When light strikes an object it will react in one or more of the
following ways depending on whether the object is transparent,
translucent, opaque, smooth, rough, or glossy:
• It will be wholly or partly transmitted.
• It will be wholly or partly reflected.
• It will be wholly or partly absorbed.
Transmission
Transmission takes place when light passes through an object without
being essentially changed; the object, in this case, is said to be
transparent:
Some alteration does take place, however, according to the refractive

index of the material through which the light is transmitted.
Refractive index (RI) is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum (i.e.,
space) to the speed of light in a given transparent material (e.g., air,
glass, water). For example, the RI of air is 1.0003. If light travels
through space at 186,000 miles per second, it travels through air at
185,944 miles per second—a very slight difference. By comparison, the
RI of water is 1.333 and the RI of glass will vary from 1.5 to 1.96—a
considerable slowing of light speed.
The point where two substances of differing RI meet is called the

boundary surface. At this point, a beam of transmitted light (the
incident beam) changes direction according to the difference in
refractive index and also the angle at which it strikes the transparent
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object. This is called refraction.
Light striking the surface of an object straight on (that is, at normal

incidence) will pass through without refraction (as in the illustration
above). But light striking at any other angle will be refracted as well as
partially reflected:
The RI of a substance is further affected by the wavelength of the light

striking it. The RI of a transparent object is higher for shorter
wavelengths and lower for longer ones. This is most apparent in the
refraction of a light beam through a prism. The red end of the visible
spectrum does not refract as much as the violet end. The effect is a
visible separation of the wavelengths. The rainbow is another example,
where sunlight is refracted through raindrops in a manner similar to the
refraction of light through a glass prism.
If light is only partly transmitted by the object (the rest being

absorbed), the object is translucent:
The degree of absorption is the only essential difference. Light

transmitted through a translucent object reflects and refracts according
to the same principles as light transmitted through a transparent
object.
Reflection
As we've seen above, light that strikes a transparent object is
transmitted in part and reflected in part. But when light strikes an
opaque object (that is, an object that does not transmit light), the
object's surface plays an important role in determining whether the
light is fully reflected, fully diffused, or some of both.
A smooth or glossy surface is one made up of particles of equal, or

nearly equal, refractive index. These surfaces reflect light at an
intensity and angle equal to the incident beam:

Scattering, or diffusion, is another aspect of reflection. When a

substance contains particles of a different refractive index, a light beam
striking the substance will be scattered. The amount of light scattered
depends on the difference in the two refractive indices and also on the
size of the particles.
The most easily observed example of scattering is the color of the sky.
Light at the blue-violet end of the spectrum is scattered by particles in
the air during periods of average daylight producing blue sky. As the
daylight wanes, the shorter blue-violet wavelengths are lost and the
longer red-orange wavelengths are scattered, giving the sky the fiery
hues of sunset.
Most commonly, light striking an opaque object will be both reflected

and scattered. This happens when an object is neither wholly glossy
nor wholly rough.
Absorption
Finally, some or all of the light may be absorbed depending on the
pigmentation of the object. Pigments are natural colorants that absorb
some or all wavelengths of light. What we see as color, are the
wavelengths of light that are not absorbed.

However, as mentioned earlier (and as we'll see later when we discuss

human vision), the wavelengths of light that concern us most are the
red, green, and blue wavelengths. These are the basis for the
tristimulus response in human vision, as well as a significant part of
color reproduction.
Spectral Reflectance/Transmittance Curve

Just as spectral power distributions are a property of a light source, the
spectral reflectance or transmittance curve is a property of a colored
object. Spectral reflectance refers to the amount of light at each
wavelength reflected from an object as compared to a pure reflection
(e.g., from a pure white object that reflects 100% at all wavelengths).
Spectral transmittance refers to the amount of light at each wavelength
that is transmitted through a transparent colored object as compared
to the amount transmitted through a clear medium such as air.
Below are some examples of spectral reflectance curves for objects that
appear red, yellow, blue, and purple:

The importance of spectral reflectance or transmittance curves lies in

their contribution toward the definition of color. As we've mentioned,
seeing color depends on the triad of light source, colored object, and
the human eye. The wavelengths reflected or transmitted from or
through an object determine the stimulus to the retina that provokes
the optical nerve into sending responses to our brains that indicate
color.


Human Vision - Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
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The Physiology of Human Vision
Light & Color
Light & Matter The third part of the color triad is human vision. After all consideration
has been made to the nature of the light and the spectral reflectance of
Human Vision the object being viewed, how you see color depends on the
combination of three distinct stimuli of the retina. For this reason,
Variables human vision is often referred to as a tristimulus response.
This aspect of seeing color was well described by British physicist

James Clerk Maxwell who wrote in 1872,
We are capable of feeling three different color sensations. Light of

different kinds excites these sensations in different proportions, and
it is by the different combinations of these three primary sensations
that all the varieties of visible color are produced.
Maxwell's studies, along with those of Thomas Young and Hermann von
Helmholtz, form the basis for all currently held views on human color
vision.
Vision Basics
The simple mechanics of human vision are as follows:
• The cornea draws light and focuses it on the lens, which adjusts for
distance. As it travels from the cornea to the lens, the light passes
through an aperture called the pupil. This aperture narrows and
widens in response to the brightness or dimness of the surrounding
light by the action of the iris (the colored part of the eye).
• The lens then passes the light through a transparent gel called the
vitreous humor and focuses an inverted image of the object being
viewed on the retina at the back of the eyeball.
• The retina is the light-sensitive part of the eye and its surface is
composed of photoreceptors or nerve endings. These receive the
light and pass it along through the optic nerve as a stimulus to the
brain. The photoreceptors are of two types, rods and cones. The
greatest concentration of rods and cones is in an area of the retina
called the fovea. In the very center of the fovea is an area called
the foveola composed entirely of cones. The area of the
fovea/foveola is the most light- and color-sensitive part of the retina.
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There are two distinct axes by which light travels through the
mechanics of the eye, the optical axis and the visual axis:
The optical axis is the most direct line through the center of cornea to
the pupil, the lens, and the retina. This is the line that draws sharpest
focus when we look at an object. However, this line intersects the
retina below the fovea and is not the most light and color sensitive.
The visual axis draws a line from the center of the pupil to the fovea.
This axis gives the best color vision, but, because it doesn't intersect
the cornea and lens at their exact centers, is not as optically clear as
light passing on the optical axis.
Photoreceptors
As mentioned above, light and color are sensed by the rods and cones
in the retina. They are structurally similar in most respects; the rod is
mostly cylindrical along its length, while the cone is tapered (hence
their names). Each rod or cone is roughly 1/500th of a millimeter in
diameter and 1/25th of a millimeter in length.

The visual process begins at the outer segment of the rods and cones.
This is where light and the pigments in the photoreceptors interact. The
light is further absorbed by the inner segment, made up of the ellipsoid
and myoid, and passed into the nucleus. From there the stimulus goes
through the synaptic body to form nerve fibers that connect to the
optic nerve and then to the brain where the stimulus is interpreted as
the light, color, and shapes we see.
Exactly where the functions of the rods and cones differ from each
other is unclear. What is known is that the rods contain a pigment
called rhodopsin and are light sensitive but not color sensitive (that is,
they're monochromatic), while the cones contain the pigments
erythrolabe, chlorolabe, and rhodopsin, which are sensitive to
wavelengths in the red, green, and blue parts of the visible spectrum.
These three sensitivities are most commonly signified by the Greek
letters ρ (rho), γ (gamma), and β (beta) for red, green, and blue,
respectively.
Moreover, the rods are more acutely sensitive to light, while the cones
are insensitive to light below a certain level of luminance. When we see
in dim light, rods receive the light and relay it to our brains—but
because the rods are monochromatic, we see only shades of gray.
Spectral Sensitivity
Similar to the spectral power distributions and spectral reflectance
curves we discussed in the preceeding sections, visual sensitivity to
colored light is also characterized by a graph called a spectral response
or sensitivity curve.
We mentioned above that certain cones are sensitive to red, green, or

blue light. However, the sensitivities don't actually peak at these
wavelengths; instead, the curves cover portions of the spectrum, which
could be called reddish, greenish, and bluish. For example, the ρ
sensitivity curve covers the wavelengths from 475nm to about 700nm
and peaks at roughly 590nm which is yellow light.
Below are the sensitivity curves for the ρ, γ, and β cones as well as the
curve for the scotopic vision of the rods:

Stimulus
The stimulus received by the brain is what we see as color. This is a
combination of all the aspects of seeing color discussed in this and the
preceding sections. The spectral power distribution of the light source,
times the spectral reflectance of the colored object, times the spectral
sensitivity of the cones in the human eye equals the stimulus of color
that we see:



Perception Variables - Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides
Canada

Perception Variables
Light & Color
Light & Matter Despite all the mathematical certainty inherent in the physics of light
waves, color is ultimately a strongly subjective perception. No two
Human Vision people actually "see" the same color because the variables that affect
our perception of color differ from person to person. Ultimately, it can
Variables be said that color only exists in the mind of the person viewing it.
These variables fall into three main categories:

pyschological/emotional, physiological, and environmental.
Psychological/Emotional Variables
People have emotional responses to color. For example, red is regarded
as a "hot" color that provokes aggression—we often use the term
"seeing red" when someone is mad—while blues are cool and relaxing.
We associate black with death, but black also evokes a sense of dignity.
We associate white with purity and green with fertility. Being "in the
red" is bad financial news while being "in the pink" means you're
healthy.
Red cars may unduly attract attention, while more sedately colored
vehicles often escape notice. Apart from blueberries and blue M&Ms,
there is no blue food. Blue is regarded as an appetite suppressant
(other than blueberries, blue does not occur naturally in any food
item).
Psychological and emotional factors in color perception also play a big

role in defining color. What two or more people see as a pure
expression of a given color may differ to a great degree. For example,
we might define "yellow" using any of the following formulae:
H: 60 R: 255 L: 97 C: 0
S: 100 G: 255 a: -20 Y: 100
L: 100 B: 0 b: 88 M: 0
K: 0
But looking at the colors below, which would you say is more purely
"yellow" than the others?
Is the one that most closely fits a formula, or is it the one that most
closely matches what you think yellow should be?
This is a significant issue in color-critical fields like advertising since
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people respond to a product, or to the advertising of that product, by

how they feel about the colors associated with it.
Physiological Variables
As we outlined in the preceding section, your eyes have a lot to do with
the perception of color. The color-sensitive pigments in the cones of
your eyes determine what signals are sent to your brain, giving you the
sensation of color. But what if those pigments are deficient?
One in 30 people are colorblind to some extent. This is mostly a

deficiency in seeing reds/greens or yellows/blues, but may also be a
complete inability to distinguish colors.
Environmental Variables
The major environmental variable concerns the kind of ambient light
under which a color is seen. This is directly related to the spectral
power distributions discussed earlier. What we see outdoors is
illuminated by the sun which is a, roughly, 6000K source. Light from
artificial sources is rarely that bright. Since luminance is an important
factor in seeing color, the brightness of your environment will have a
lot to do with the color you see.
Metamerism
Another aspect of lighting is the issue of metamerism. Two objects may
appear to be identical colors under a certain kind of light, yet under
another kind of light they may appear distinctly different:
metamerism is caused by two colored objects with differing spectral

reflections (known as metamers) but which, under light of a particular
spectral power distribution, provoke the same stimulus in the ρ, γ, and
β cones of the human eye.

Achromatic Simultaneous Contrast

Another environmental variable is what is called achromatic
simultaneous contrast. This is the juxtaposition of differing colors that
affect each other. This can be seen in the illustration below:
The red dots in each quarter have the same spectral reflectance;
however, due to the colors in each quarter that surround them, the
dots appear darker or lighter than each other. The stimulus to the eye
of the surrounding color affects the stimulus of the red dot.


Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Management Systems

CMS Defined
A Color management system (CMS) helps to reduce or eliminate color-
CMS Models matching problems and makes color portable, reliable, and predictable.
This techguide provides an introduction to color management systems,
Profiles explains why they are of increasing importance in the desktop
publishing industry, and defines some of the basic concepts and
CMM components of a CMS. This techguide is divided into the following
sections:
Render Intent
Workflow What is a color management system?
The Color Management Models
Device Profiles
The Color Management Module (CMM)
Render Intent
CMS Workflow
For related information, see also the following related guides:
• "Basic Color Theory for the Desktop"
• "Color Models"
• "Using Color Management in Adobe Illustrator 8.0.x"
• "Using Adobe Gamma"
• "Glossary of Color Management Terms"

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Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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What is a Color Management System? - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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What is a Color Management System?
CMS Defined
CMS Models The challenge of color publishing is to reproduce colors the eye sees on
a series of devices that have progressively diminishing color
Profiles capabilities. Even the best photographic film can capture only a small
portion of the colors discernible to the human eye. A computer monitor
CMM can display only a small fraction of those colors, and a printing press
can reproduce fewer colors still.
Render Intent
Workflow A color management system (CMS) is a collection of software tools

designed to reconcile the different color capabilities of scanners,
monitors, printers, imagesetters, and printing presses to ensure
consistent color throughout the print production process. Ideally, this
means that the colors displayed on your monitor accurately represent
the colors of the final output. It also means that different applications,
monitors, and operating systems will display colors consistently.
A CMS is most beneficial when designing publications for output devices

with small color gamuts, such as printing presses, proofers, and
desktop printers. A CMS maps colors from a device with a large color
gamut, such as a monitor, to a device with a smaller color gamut, such
as a proofer or printing press; consequently, all colors on the monitor
represent colors that the output device can reproduce.
This discussion is divided into the following sections:
The Need for Color Management

A brief discussion of why color management is important.
Why WYS Isn't WYG

An overview of the limitations in color reproduction.
Device-Independent Color
A look at the importance of device-independent color.
The Need for Open Color Management
Before desktop publishing, high-end prepress operators used

proprietary, or closed, systems, where all devices were integrated and
calibrated to known values in order to work together. Color specialists
were highly trained professionals who could work these systems to
make a wide variety of adjustments to the color in a scanned image
and predict, with reasonable accuracy, what the final printed piece
would look like based on their manipulations.
Certain factors in the prepress, printing, film, and video industries have
made these high-end proprietary solutions less viable. Desktop
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publishing has brought about the increase of open production systems.

The design and production workflow is no longer confined to a closed
system, but may be distributed across many different systems made up
of devices from different vendors.
Because each device reproduces color differently, the color you see at
one stage of design and production rarely matches what you see at
another. In other words, color is device-dependent—the color you see
depends on the device producing it. A scanner interprets an image as
certain RGB values according to its particular specifications; a particular
monitor displays RGB colors according to the specifications of its
phosphors; a color desktop printer outputs in RGB or CMYK according
to its own specifications. And, each press produces printed output
according to the specifications followed (e.g., SWOP, TOYO, DIC) and
the type of inks used.
Thus the need for an open color management system to communicate

color reliably between different devices and operating systems. Open
color management lets you compensate for the differences in these
devices and communicate color in a device-independent manner.
Why WYS Isn't WYG
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of working with digital files for
color output is that WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) doesn't
always apply. The color you worked so hard to get "just right" on your
monitor doesn't look correct when you print it. The reason is simple.
By their very natures, monitors and printing presses reproduce color in

completely different ways. A monitor uses the RGB color model. This is
an additive color model where red, green, and blue light is combined to
create colors, and combining full intensities of all three make white:
A printing press, by contrast, uses the CMYK color model, in which

three colors of transparent ink (cyan, magenta, and yellow) are
combined—along with black (noted as K)—in varying amounts to create
colors. CMYK is a subtractive color model where the inks filter the white
light that reflects back from the paper and subtract some of the red,
green, and blue light from the spectrum. The color we see is what is
left in the spectrum. Subtracting all colors by combining the CMY inks
at full saturation should, in theory, render black:

However, impurities in the existing CMY inks make full and equal
saturation impossible, and some RGB light does filter through,
rendering a muddy brown color. Hence, the addition of black ink to
CMY.
Moreover, RGB and CMYK have different color gamuts, or ranges of

reproducible colors, as this illustration shows:
RGB monitors can display more colors than can be matched in print.
Conversely, some CMYK colors cannot be matched on-screen.
Moreover, RGB gamuts vary widely between devices with some gamuts
being considerably wider than others. While this may seem beneficial,
wider RGB gamuts can be problematic when outputting to a press. The
colors in the RGB gamut that are outside the CMYK gamut must be
compressed (i.e., mapped to a space within the CMYK gamut). This
always entails a loss to the quality of the original design and
underscores the feeling that what you see is not what you get.
Device-Independent Color
As the previously explained, color varies depending on the device that

produces it. In a sense, each device speaks its own color language,
which it can't communicate well to another device. What is needed is
an interpreter.
To illustrate this, imagine four people in a room. Each person is

assigned a task that requires agreement among them all. One speaks
Swahili, one speaks French, one speaks Mandarin, and one uses sign
language. For the group to communicate, they need an interpreter who
knows all four languages, as well as an agreed-upon neutral language.
All discussion must first go through the interpreter who then translates
it to the neutral language that all can understand. Each will continue to
use his or her own native language, but will communicate with the
others by using the neutral language.
A color management system works in much the same way, using a

device-independent color model as the neutral color language by which
all color information is referenced. The particular color model used is
CIELAB, developed in 1976 by the Commission Internationale de
l'Eclairage (International Committee on Illumination, or CIE). CIE's
standard for measuring color is based on how the human eye perceives
it.


Color Management Models - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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Color Management Models
CMS Defined
CMS Models The color-managed workflow is fairly straightforward and possesses

two major characteristics:
Profiles
CMM Images are edited in a device-independent color space that is larger

than the color space of the output device, such as a computer monitor,
Render Intent a TV screen, film, or a four-color press.
Workflow Image files can be saved with profiles that contain information
describing the characteristics of the source and output color devices.
These two considerations make a color-managed workflow

advantageous. The Image files become portable since they can be
repurposed for output on widely differing devices simply by tagging
them with different output profiles.
Next, we'll examine the following Color Management Models:
The ICC Color Management Model
The PostScript Color Management Model
The ICC Color Management Model
In 1993, members of the computer and color publishing industry began

working toward a common approach to color management. They
formed the International Color Consortium (ICC) in order to establish
color standards that would help users achieve reliable and reproducible
color throughout the entire reproduction process. They also endorsed
an open framework for developing color management systems.
An ICC color management system has three major components:
• A device-independent color space, also known as a Reference Color

Space.
• Device profiles that define the color characteristics of a particular

device.
• A Color Management Module (CMM) that interprets the device

profiles and carries out the instructions on what to do with different
device's color gamuts.
One of the first decisions made by the ICC was that color space
transformations were the responsibility of the operating system. Placing
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the responsibility there meant that color management would not have
to be replicated in each application while still being available to all
applications. Device profiles, which contain information on the color
behavior of the various peripherals, provide the data necessary to
perform these transformations.
The ICC chose the CIE color model as the device-independent color
space for color management. Since device-specific colors from any
device can be mapped into a device-independent color space, it's much
easier to combine equipment from different vendors into one system
and maintain color specifications. Because they are well-defined and
reproducible, the CIE color spaces (CIELAB and CIEXYZ) are an
excellent language for communicating color information between
different systems.
The PostScript Color Management Model
Adobe's Level 2 PostScript language had already implemented much of

the device-independent features of ICC color management. The
PostScript model achieves device-independent color management by
converting RGB to CMYK when printing, rather than at some prior
point. It uses the CIEXYZ color space (a cousin of CIELAB) as a
reference color space. It also uses a Color Space Array (CSA). which is
analogous to an ICC source profile, and a Color Rendering Dictionary,
which is the PostScript version of an output profile.
In the PostScript color management model, there are three paths for
color-managed printing:
Path 1
The driver makes the color conversion to the printer's color space. It
does this using both source profiles and printer profiles and send
converted CMYK data to the printer:
This path is useful for printers without the appropriate color conversion
functionality, or in cases where the host platform may have
considerably more processing power than the printer.
Path 2
The driver uses source profiles and a printer profile as above, but, in
this case sends the original RGB data to the printer. The source profiles
are rolled into color space (CS) descriptions appropriate for the printer
and the printer profile is rolled into a color rendering dictionary (CRD).
Color conversion is then carried out in the printer:

The resulting page description is device-dependent because it contains

a CRD for a specific printer. The same page description sent to a printer
needing a different CRD would give incorrect results. The difference
from path 1 is that the color conversions have been offloaded to the
printer.
Path 3
The driver sends the data in the source color space. In this case,
however, only the source color space descriptions (CS) along with the
data are sent to the printer:
The printer profile is not needed since the CRDs (color rendering
dictionaries) resident in the printer are used to complete the path from
CIEXYZ (the reference color space) to printer device colorants. Note
that while all three paths can give identical results, only path 3 is
device-independent.
The basic PostScript architecture can also use additional profiles, third-
party CMMs, Color Space Arrays, and Color-rendering Dictionaries:



Device Profiles - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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Device Profiles
CMS Defined
CMS Models A color management system must have available to it the

characteristics of each device in the production process, namely their
Profiles color "behaviors" and color gamuts. It gets this information from files
called device profiles. A device profile enables the CMS to convert
CMM between a device's native color space and a device-independent
reference color space (i.e., CIELAB or CIEXYZ).
Render Intent
Workflow Each device in the production system has its own device profile, either
provided as part of the CMS, available from the device's manufacturer,
or included with third party hardware, software, or both. The CMS uses
these profiles to convert one device-dependent color space into the
device-independent reference color space and then to a second device-
dependent color space:
Device profiles characterize a particular device by describing the

characteristics of the color space for that device in a particular state.
Some devices have only one profile (for example, a monitor). Others,
like printers, may have several since any changes to the printer state
need to be accounted for in a separate profile.
Profiles can also be embedded within image files. Embedded profiles

allow for the automatic interpretation of color information as the color
image is transferred from one device to another.
Device profiles are divided into three classifications:
1. Input profiles for devices such as scanners and digital cameras (also
known as source profiles).
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Device Profiles - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
2. Display profiles for devices such as monitors and flat panel screens.
3. Output profiles for devices such as printers, copiers, film recorders,

and printing presses (also known as destination profiles).

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The Color Management Module (CMM) - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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The Color Management Module (CMM)
CMS Defined
CMS Models The Color Management Module (CMM), sometimes called the Color
Engine, is the part of the CMS that maps one gamut to another. When
Profiles colors consistent with one device's gamut are displayed on a device
with a different gamut, a CMM uses device profiles and render intents
CMM to optimize the displayed colors between the two devices. The CMM
does this by mapping the out-of-gamut colors into the range of colors
Render Intent that can be produced by the destination device.
Workflow
Each CMS has a default CMM, but may support additional CMMs as well.
For example, Apple ColorSync 2.6, a CMS for the Mac OS, uses
Heidelberg's CMM by default, but also supports other CMMs such as
those in Kodak's KCMS and Agfa's FotoTune.
In Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, color management does not occur

at the system level, but at the application level using CMSs like Kodak
KCMS and Agfa's FotoTune. Windows 98 and Windows 2000 use ICM
2.0, which was developed by Microsoft and uses the same Heidelberg
CMM as ColorSync 2.6. At this writing, implementation of ICM 2.0 may
not be comparable to ColorSync on Mac OS, so it's unclear how much
the situation will change in the Windows environment.

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Render Intent - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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Render Intent
CMS Defined
CMS Models A CMM maps colors from one device's color space to another according
to a render intent. The render intent determines how the CMM maps
Profiles colors. The four render intents are perceptual, saturation, relative
colorimetric, and absolute colorimetric.
CMM
Render Intent • Perceptual

Compresses the total gamut from one device's color space into the
Workflow gamut of another device's color space when one or more colors in
the original image is out of the gamut of the destination color space.
This preserves the visual relationship between colors by shrinking
the entire color space and shifting all colors – including those that
were in gamut.
• Saturation
Reproduces the original image color saturation (vividness) when
converting into the target device's color space. In this approach, the
relative saturation of colors is maintained from gamut to gamut. This
render intent is primarily designed for business graphics, where the
exact relationship between colors (such as in a photographic image)
is not as important as are bright saturated colors.
• Relative Colorimetric
When a color in the current color space is out of gamut in the target
color space, it is mapped to the closest possible color within the
gamut of the target color space, while colors that are in gamut are
not affected. Only the colors that fall outside of the destination
gamut are changed. This render intent can cause two colors, which
appear different in the source color space, to be the same in the
target color space. This is called "clipping." Relative colorimetric is
the default method of color conversion built into Photoshop 4.0 and
earlier.
• Absolute Colorimetric
Colors match exactly with no adjustment made for white point or
black point that would alter the image's brightness. Absolute
colorimetric is valuable for rendering "signature colors", those colors
that are highly identified with a commercial product such as the
yellow used by the Eastman Kodak Company, or the red used by the
Coca-Cola Company.
Note: In Adobe InDesign, Adobe PageMaker, and Adobe Illustrator,

the perceptual and saturation render intents are called image and
graphics respectively.
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Render Intent - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides

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CMS Workflow - Color Management Systems - Technical Guides
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Color Management System Workflow
CMS Defined
CMS Models We have now covered all of the concepts for matching colors from one
device to another. To match screen colors to a printer, a CMS must do
Profiles the following:
CMM
• Convert the screen RGB values to device-independent values, such
Render Intent as CIELAB or CIEXYZ, using data from the monitor's ICC device
profile.
Workflow
• Convert the CIEXYZ values to CMYK values using data from the
printer's ICC device profile.
• Compare the color gamut of the source with that of the output
device and map the colors according to the render intent (the gamut
data is obtained from the source and output device profiles).

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Color Models - Technical Guides
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Main Color Models

RGB
Color models are used to classify colors and to qualify them according
Munsell to such attributes as hue, saturation, chroma, lightness, or brightness.
They are further used for matching colors and are valuable resources
HSB/HLS for anyone working with color in any medium: print, video, or Web.
CIE
In this Technical Guide, we will see the ways color is made accessible
CIEXYZ to designers and look at some of the problems that occur when color is
specified in one medium and produced in another (for example, when
CIELUV color is specified on a computer and produced on a four-color printing
press).
CIELAB
We will focus on four models:
RGB (CMY)
The red, green, blue and cyan, magenta, yellow models are closely
related, the primary colors of each form the secondary colors of the
other. These are also the most representative models for additive and
subtractive colors, respectively. RGB is also the basic color model for
on-screen display.
HSB/HLS
Hue, saturation, and brightness and hue, lightness, and saturation
are two variations of a similar model that is a standard for computer
graphics and that closely models the qualities most apparent to
human perception of color.
Munsell
The Munsell color system is one of the most influential systems
developed for ordering colors that can be used for production. While
its practical application is mostly outside of print production, it still
forms the basis for most other work on color modeling.
CIE
The CIE color models are highly influential systems for measuring
color and distinguishing between colors. We will examine three CIE
models: CIEXYZ, CIELUV, and CIELAB. The last of these, CIELAB, is
very important to color management.
This Techguide is closely associated with other Techguides that cover

color theory and color management. These are:
• "Basic Color Theory for the Desktop"
• "Color Management Systems"
• "Color Management in Adobe Illustrator 8.0.x"
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Color Models - Technical Guides

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The RGB (CMY) Color Model - Color Models - Technical Guides
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Main Color Models

The RGB (CMY) Color Model
RGB
Munsell RGB and its subset CMY form the most basic and well-known color
model. This model bears closest resemblance to how we perceive color.
HSB/HLS It also corresponds to the principles of additive and subtractive colors.
CIE
Additive Colors
CIEXYZ Additive colors are created by mixing spectral light in varying
combinations. The most common examples of this are television
CIELUV screens and computer monitors, which produce colored pixels by firing
red, green, and blue electron guns at phosphors on the television or
CIELAB monitor screen.
More precisely, additive color is produced by any combination of solid

spectral colors that are optically mixed by being placed closely
together, or by being presented in very rapid succession. Under these
circumstances, two or more colors may be perceived as one color.
This can be illustrated by a technique used in the earliest experiments

with additive colors: color wheels. These are disks whose surface is
divided into areas of solid color. When attached to a motor and spun at
high speed, the human eye cannot distinguish between the separate
colors and sees them instead as a composite of the colors on the disk:
Subtractive Colors
Subtractive colors are seen when pigments in an object absorb certain
wavelengths of white light while reflecting the rest. We see examples of
this all around us. Any colored object, whether natural or man-made,
absorbs some wavelengths of light and reflects or transmits others; the
wavelengths left in the reflected/transmitted light make up the color we
see.
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This is the nature of color print production, and cyan, magenta, and
yellow, as used in four-color process printing, are considered the
subtractive primaries. The subtractive color model in printing operates
not only with CMY(K), but also with spot colors, that is, premixed inks.
RGB
Red, green, and blue are the primary stimuli for human color
perception and are the primary additive colors. The relationship
between the colors can be seen in this illustration:
The secondary colors of RGB, cyan, magenta, and yellow, are formed
by the mixture of two of the primaries and the exclusion of the third.
Red and green combine to make yellow, green and blue make cyan,
and blue and red make magenta.
The combination of red, green, and blue in full intensity makes white.
White light is created when all colors of the EM spectrum converge in
full intensity.
The importance of RGB as a color model is that it relates very closely to

the way we perceive color with the ρ γ β receptors in our retinas. RGB is
the basic color model used in television or any other medium that
projects the color. It is the basic color model on computers and is used
for Web graphics, but it cannot be used for print production.
CMY(K)
Cyan, magenta, and yellow correspond roughly to the primary colors in
art production: red, blue, and yellow. In the illustration below, you can
see the CMY counterpart to the RGB model shown above:

Just as the primary colors of CMY are the secondary colors of RGB, the
primary colors of RGB are the secondary colors of CMY. But as the
illustrations show, the colors created by the subtractive model of CMY
don't look exactly like the colors created in the additive model of RGB.
Particularly, CMY cannot reproduce the brightness of RGB colors. In
addition, the CMY gamut is much smaller than the RGB gamut (see
below).
The CMY model used in printing lays down overlapping layers of varying
percentages of transparent cyan, magenta, and yellow inks. Light is
transmitted through the inks and reflects off the surface below them
(called the substrate). The percentages of CMY ink (applied as screens
of halftone dots) subtract inverse percentages of RGB from the
reflected light so that we see a particular color:
In the illustration above, a white substrate that reflects 100% of the

light is printed with a 17% screen of magenta, a 100% screen of cyan,
and an 87% screen of yellow. Magenta subtracts green wavelengths,
cyan subtracts red wavelengths, and yellow subtracts blue wavelengths
from the light. The reflected light, then, is made up of 0% of the red
wavelengths, 44% of the green wavelengths, and 29% of the blue
wavelengths. The resulting spectral reflectance/transmittance curve
would look approximately like this:

When printed on paper, the screens of the three transparent inks are
positioned in a controlled dot pattern called a rosette. To the naked
eye, the appearance is of a continuous tone, but when examined
closely, the dots become apparent:
Note that in the above illustration, the cyan screen at 100% prints as a
solid layer; the 87% layer of yellow appears as green dots because in
every case the yellow is overlaying the cyan, forming green. The
magenta dots, at 17%, appear much darker because they are mostly
overlaying both the cyan and yellow.
In theory, the combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow at 100%

create black (all light being absorbed). In practice, however, CMY
usually cannot be used alone. Because of imperfections in the inks and
other limitations of the process, full and equal absorption of the light
isn't possible; thus a true black or true grays cannot be created by
mixing the inks in equal proportions. The actual result is a muddy
brown color. In order to boost grays and shadows and to provide a
genuine black, printers resort to adding black ink, indicated as K. Thus
the practical application of the CMY color model is the four-color CMYK
process.
This process was created to print continuous tone color images like
photographs. Unlike solid colors, the halftone dot for each screen in
these images varies in size and continuity according to the image's

tonal range. However, the images are still made up of superimposed

screens of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks arranged in rosettes:
Finally, CMYK printing, though it is chiefly regarded as a model of

subtractive colors, is also an additive model in a certain sense. The
arrangement of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black dots appear to the
human eye as colors because of an optical illusion: We can't distinguish
the separate dots at normal viewing size so we perceive colors, which
are an additive mixture of the varying amounts of the CMYK inks on
any portion of the image surface.
Note: For more information on halftone images, see the document

"Halftones and Scanning" in the Adobe Photoshop section of the
Technical Guides.
Gamut Constraints
One problem that also needs to be addressed in discussing RGB and
CMY is the issue of gamut constraints. The representation of the whole
range, or gamut, of human color perception is quite large. However,
when we look at the RGB and CMY color models—which are essentially
models of color production—we see that the gamut of colors we can
reproduce is far less than what we can actually see.
While not precise, the illustration below clearly shows this problem by
superimposing representative RGB and CMY gamuts over the 1931 CIE
Chromaticity Diagram (representing the whole gamut of human color
perception):

Both models fall short of reproducing all the colors we can see.
Furthermore, they differ to such an extent that there are many RGB
colors that cannot be produced using CMY(K), and similarly, there are
some CMY colors that cannot be produced using RGB.
The exact RGB or CMY gamut depends on other factors as well. Every
RGB device, whether a display monitor, color printer, color scanner,
etc., has its own unique gamut. Although the print industry has set
standards for color production (for example, SWOP—Specifications for
Web Offset Publications), variances in presses, inks, and paper, as well
as differences in environmental conditions within any given print house,
affect the gamut of CMY(K) output.
These differences in gamut can create problems in the color production

of computer-generated graphics and pages, and inconsistent color is a
problem inherent in all computer-generated color output.


The Munsell Color System - Color Models - Technical Guides
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Main Color Models

The Munsell Color System
RGB
Munsell One of the most influential color-modeling systems was devised by

Albert Henry Munsell, an American artist. Munsell desired to create a
HSB/HLS "rational way to describe color" that would use clear decimal notation
instead of a lot of color names that he considered "foolish" and
CIE "misleading." His system, which he began in 1898 with the creation of
his color sphere, or tree, saw its full expression with his publication, A
CIEXYZ Color Notation, in 1905. This work has been reprinted several times
and is still a standard for colorimetry (the measuring of color).
CIELUV
CIELAB Munsell modeled his system as an orb around whose equator runs a
band of colors. The axis of the orb is a scale of neutral gray values with
white as the north pole and black as the south pole. Extending
horizontally from the axis at each gray value is a gradation of color
progressing from neutral gray to full saturation. With these three
defining aspects, any of thousands of colors could be fully described.
Munsell named these aspects, or qualities, Hue, Value, and Chroma.
Hue
Munsell defined hue as "the quality by which we distinguish one color
from another." He selected five principle colors: red, yellow, green,
blue, and purple; and five intermediate colors: yellow-red, green-
yellow, blue-green, purple-blue, and red-purple; and he arranged these
in a wheel measured off in 100 compass points:
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The colors were simply identified as R for red, YR for red-yellow, Y for
yellow, etc. Each primary and intermediate color was allotted ten
degrees around the compass and then further identified by its place in
the segment. For example, primary red would be identified as 5R since
it stands at the mid-point of the red segment. 2.5R would be a red
tending more toward red-purple, while 7.5R is a red tending more
toward yellow-red.
Munsell's arrangement of colors in this way was also important for his
concept of color harmony, or balance. Munsell was a conservative artist
with strict views on the aesthetics of painting. He wanted his system to
serve not only as guide for notating colors, but as a guide for choosing
complimentary colors for artistic work.
Value
Value was defined by Munsell defined value as "the quality by which we
distinguish a light color from a dark one." Value is a neutral axis that
refers to the grey level of the color. This ranges from white to black. As
notations such as 10R, 5YR, 7.5PB, etc. denote particular hues, the
notation N is used to denote the gray value at any point on the axis.
Thus a value of 5N would denote a middle gray, 2N a dark gray, and
7N a light gray. In Munsell's original system, values 1N and 9N are,
respectively, black and white, though this was later expanded to values
of 0 (black) through 10 (white).
The value of a particular hue would be noted with the value after the
hue designation. For example, 5PB 6/ indicates a middle purple-blue at
the value level of 6.
It should be noted, too, that Munsell's scale of value is visual, or

perceptual. That is, it's based on how we see differences in relative
light, not on a strict set of mathematical values from a light source or
illuminant.
Chroma
Chroma is the quality that distinguishes the difference from a pure hue

to a gray shade. The chroma axis extends from the value axis at a right
angle and the amount of chroma is noted after the value designation.
Thus 7.5YR 7/12 indicates a yellow-red hue tending toward yellow with
a value of 7 and a chroma of 12:
However, chroma is not uniform for every hue at every value. Munsell
saw that full chroma for individual hues might be achieved at very
different places in the color sphere. For example, the fullest chroma for
hue 5RP (red-purple) is achieved at 5/26:
Another color such as 10YR (yellowish yellow-red) has a much shorter

chroma axis and reaches fullest chroma at 7/10 and 6/10:

In the Munsell System, reds, blues, and purples tend to be stronger

hues that average higher chroma values at full saturation, while
yellows and greens are weaker hues that average fullest chroma
saturation relatively close to the neutral axis. And, reds, blues, and
purples reach fullest saturation at mid-levels on the value scale, while
yellows and greens reach it at higher values (7/- or 8/-).
The result of these differences is that what Munsell originally

envisioned as a sphere or orb is radically asymmetrical. A three-
dimensional solid representation of Munsell's system would look like the
following:
This gave rise to the alternate describing the solid representation as a

tree.
Munsell's system, although dating back to the 19th century and devised
more by intuition than exact science, is still an internationally accepted,
leading color system. The Munsell Book of Colors is sold commercially
to printers and designers, as are a number of other Munsell color

products.
Also available are digital color libraries for Munsell Book of Colors and
Munsell High Chroma Colors. These libraries are available in Adobe
PageMaker and Adobe FrameMaker and can be found in some other
drawing and layout programs as well. However, as we will point out
again later, any digital color library will not display accurately due to
the gamut constraints of RGB. You can only match colors accurately
using printed swatches supplied by companies such as Munsell.
The Munsell company, founded by A.H. Munsell in 1918, is currently

owned by GretagMacbeth and can be found on the Web at
www.munsell.com.


The HSB/HLS Color Model - Color Models - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Models

The HSB/HLS Color Model
RGB
Munsell HSB/HLS are two variations of a very basic color model for defining
colors in desktop graphics programs that closely matches the way we
HSB/HLS perceive color. This model is somewhat analogous to Munsell's system
of hue, value, and chroma in that it uses three similar axes to define a
CIE color. In HSB, these are hue, saturation, and brightness; in HLS, they
are defined by hue, lightness, and saturation.
CIEXYZ
CIELUV Hue defines the color itself, for example, red in distinction to blue or
yellow. The values for the hue axis run from 0–360° beginning and
CIELAB ending with red and running through green, blue and all intermediary
colors like greenish-blue, orange, purple, etc. In this respect, HLS is
very similar to Munsell's color wheel. Although Munsell used a different
method for indicating hue, both arrange the colors in a circular pattern
and progress them through compass points.
Saturation indicates the degree to which the hue differs from a neutral
gray. The values run from 0%, which is no color saturation, to 100%,
which is the fullest saturation of a given hue at a given percentage of
illumination.
This is similar to Munsell's chroma.
Lightness indicates the level of illumination. The values run as
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percentages; 0% appears black (no light) while 100% is full

illumination, which washes out the color (it appears white). In this
respect, the lightness axis is similar to Munsell's value axis. Colors at
percentages less than 50% appear darker while colors at greater than
50% appear lighter.
A color solid (i.e., a three-dimensional representation) of the HLS

model is not exactly cylindrical since the area truncates towards the
two ends of the lightness axis and is widest in the middle range. Thus it
forms an ellipsoid:
HLS is commonly encountered in one form or another in many

computer graphics programs. One common example is Apple's HLS
wheel:

By specifying the hue degree and saturation percentage and using the
slider bar to control the lightness, you can create any of millions of
colors.
HLS is implemented under other names as well: HSB (hue, saturation,

and brightness) is common, as is LCH (lightness, chroma, and hue).
The values, regardless of what they're called, are very similar.


The CIE Color Models - Color Models - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Models

The CIE Color Models
RGB
Munsell CIE stands for Comission Internationale de l'Eclairage (International

Commission on Illumination). The commission was founded in 1913 as
HSB/HLS an autonomous international board to provide a forum for the exchange
of ideas and information and to set standards for all things related to
CIE lighting. As a part of this mission, CIE has a technical committee, Vison
and Colour, that has been a leading force in colorimetry since it first
CIEXYZ met to set its standards in Cambridge, England, in 1931.
CIELUV
The CIE color model was developed to be completely independent of
CIELAB any device or other means of emission or reproduction and is based as
closely as possible on how humans perceive color. The key elements of
the CIE model are the definitions of standard sources and the
specifications for a standard observer.
Standard Sources
The following CIE standard sources were defined in 1931:
• Source A
A tungsten-filament lamp with a color temperature of 2854K
• Source B
A model of noon sunlight with a temperature of 4800K
• Source C
A model of average daylight with a temperature of 6500K
Sources B and C are actually derived from source A through the use of
filters that alter their spectral power distribution.
CIE augmented these sources in 1965 with a number of standard

illuminants. As mentioned in the Technical Guide, "Basic Color Theory
for the Desktop," illuminants are not physical sources; rather, they are
models of light defined by a spectral power distribution. CIE sources A,
B, and C are also defined as standard illuminants.
In addition, CIE has defined a series of daylight illuminants called the

Daylight D series. Of these Illuminant D65 with a color temperature of
6500K is the most commonly referenced.
Standard Observer
CIE has two specifications for a standard observer: the original 1931
specification and a revised 1964 specification. In both cases the
standard observer is a composite made from small groups of individuals
(about 15-20) and is representative of normal human color vision. Both
specifications used a similar technique to match colors to an equivalent
RGB tristimulus value:
The observer viewed a split screen with 100% reflectance (that is, pure
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white). On one half a test lamp cast a pure spectral color on the
screen. On the other half, three lamps emitting varying amounts of red,
green, and blue light attempted to match the spectral light of the test
lamp. The observer viewed the screen through an aperture and
determined when the two halves of the split screen were identical. The
RGB tristimulus values for each distinct color could be obtained this
way.
The significant difference between the 1931 and 1964 standard

observers was the field of vision used to view the screens. The 1931
observer had a 2° field of vision (i.e., the amount taken in by the fovea
alone). This was later considered inadequate in many cases since it did
not take in enough of the observer's peripheral vision. The 1964
specification widened the observer's field of vision to 10° in order to
get tristimulus values that reflect a wider retinal sensitivity.
CIE Models
Once the RGB tristimulus values were obtained, they were found to be
wanting in some regards. Due to gamut restraints, the RGB color model
could not reproduce all spectral light without introducing the effect of
negative RGB values (this was done by mixing red, green, or blue light
with the test lamp as needed). CIE thought a system that used
negative values would not be acceptable as an international standard.
Accordingly, they translated the RGB tristimulus values into a different
set of all positive tristimulus values, called XYZ, which formed the first
CIE color model. From this first model, other models were derived in
response to various concerns. Go to the following for a concise
summary of each:
CIEXYZ
The original CIE model using the chromaticity diagram adopted in
1931.
CIELUV
A model composed in 1960 and revised in 1976. This model uses an
altered and elongated form of the original chromaticity diagram in an
attempt to correct its non-uniformity.
CIELAB
A different approach developed by Richard Hunter in 1942 that
defines colors along two polar axes for color (a and b) and a third for
lightness (L).



CIEXYZ - Color Models - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Models

CIEXYZ
RGB
Munsell As mentioned in the preceding page, CIE considered the tristimulus

values for red, green, and blue to be undesirable for creating a
HSB/HLS standardized color model. Instead, they used a mathematical formula
to convert the RGB data to a system that uses only positive integers as
CIE values. The reformulated tristimulus values were indicated as XYZ.
These values do not directly correspond to red, green, and blue, but
CIEXYZ are approximately so. The curve for the Y tristimulus value is equal to
the curve that indicates the human eye's response to the total power of
CIELUV a light source. For this reason the value Y is called the luminance factor
and the XYZ values have been normalized so that Y always has a value
CIELAB
of 100.
Obtaining the XYZ tristimulus values is only part of defining the color.
The color itself is more readily understood in terms of hue and chroma
(to use Munsell's terms). To make this possible, CIE used the XYZ
tristimulus values to formulate a new set of chromaticity coordinates
that are denoted xyz.
Note: The tristumulus values XYZ are always indicated in upper case
while the chromaticity coordinates, xyz, are always in lower case.
The chromaticity coordinates are used in conjunction with a

chromaticity diagram, the most familiar one being CIE's 1931 xyY
Chromaticity Diagram:
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The horseshoe-shaped color space is set in a grid using the

chromaticity coordinates x and y as a locator for any value of hue and
chroma. These correspond to the color itself (e.g., reddish-orange) and
the fullness of the color or saturation. The coordinate z is not used, but
can be inferred from the other two since the sum of the coordinates x
+ y + z is always 1.
The white spot in the following diagram represents the location of the
illuminant.
The third dimension is indicated by the tristimulus value Y. As

previously mentioned, this value indicates the lightness or luminance of
the color. The scale for Y extends from the white spot in a line
perpendicular to the plane formed by x and y using a scale that runs
from 0 to 100. The fullest range of color exists at 0 where the white
point is equal to CIE Illuminant C. As the Y value increases and the
color becomes lighter, the range of color, or gamut, decreases so that
the color space at 100 is just a sliver of the original area:
Using the xyY values, any two colors can be compared to determine

whether they match–which is the whole purpose of CIE's standards. It

needs to be noted that CIE did not create their system as a means for
describing colors or producing a line of swatches for use in color
production.
It is not possible to use the xyY chromaticity diagram as a map for

showing the relationships between colors. The diagram is a flat
representation of what is really a curved surface. So, like a Mercator
projection map of the world, parts of it are visibly distorted in
relationship to others. Colors of equal amounts of difference appear
farther apart in the green part of the diagram than they do in the red
or violet part.
To resolve the problem of non-uniform color scaling, CIE adopted two

different uniform diagrams that became the 1976 specifications for
CIELUV and CIELAB.


CIELUV - Color Models - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Models

CIELUV
RGB
Munsell As indicated in the previous section, the 1931 CIE x,y Chromaticity
Diagram (or xyY diagram) was inadequate because the two-
HSB/HLS dimensional diagram failed to give a uniformly-spaced visual
representation of what is actually a three-dimensional color space. You
CIE can seen this problem clearly in the following illustration of the xyY
chromaticity diagram:
CIEXYZ
CIELUV
CIELAB
Each line in the diagram represents a color difference of equal

proportion. The distance between the end points of each line segment
are perceptually the same according to the 1931 CIE 2° standard
observer. As you can see, the lines vary in length, sometimes greatly,
depending on what part of the diagram they're in. This disparity in line
length indicates the amount of distortion between parts of the diagram.
To correct this, a number of uniform chromaticity scale (UCS) diagrams

were proposed. These UCS diagrams used a mathematical formula to
transform the XYZ values or x,y coordinates to a new set of values
(u,v) that presented a visually more accurate two-dimensional model.
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In 1960, CIE adopted one of these as the 1960 CIE u,v Chromaticity
Diagram:
Compare this to the 1931 diagram in the preceding section. The effect
was to elongate the blue-red portions of the diagram and relocate the
illuminant (or white point) to decrease the visual disparity with the
green portion.
However, this was still found unsatisfactory and in 1975, CIE proposed
modifying the u,v diagram and supplying new (u',v') values. This was
done by multiplying the v values by 1.5. Thus in the new diagram u' =
u and v' = 1.5v. The resulting diagram was adopted as the 1976 CIE
u',v' Chromaticity Diagram:
While the representation is not perfect (nor can it ever be), the u',v'
diagram offers a much better visual uniformity. This can be seen by
comparing the following illustration of the u',v' diagram with the x,y
diagram at the top of this section:

The lines in theu',v' diagram represent the same as in the x,y

illustration, only here we can see the lines are more nearly uniform
throughout the diagram.
One other point to make about the CIELUV model is the replacement of
the Y lightness scale with a new scale called L*. The Y scale is a
uniform scale of lightness with equal steps between each value.
However, this kind of scale is not adequate to represent differences in
lightness that are visually equivalent. For example, a difference
between values of 10 and 15 on the Y lightness scale differ by the
same magnitude as values of 70 and 75. We do not see the values as
being the same, however. We have much less ability to differentiate
between degrees of lower values than we do of middle and higher
values.
Using a mathematical formula, the Y values were translated to other

values that are approximately uniformly spaced, but more indicative of
the actual visual differences. The resulting scale, L*, closely models the
Munsell system's scale of Value. The major difference is that L* uses a
scale of 0-100, while Munsell's Value uses a scale of 0-10.
The L* lightness scale is used for CIELAB as well as CIELUV.
The value of CIELUV lies in the fact that, like CIEXYZ and xyY, it is
device-independent and therefore not restrained by gamut. It is an
improvement over CIEXYZ and xyY in that it better represents uniform
color spaces.


CIELAB - Color Models - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Color Models

CIELAB
RGB
Munsell CIELAB is the second of two systems adopted by CIE in 1976 as models
that better showed uniform color spacing in their values. CIELAB is an
HSB/HLS opponent color system based on the earlier (1942) system of Richard
Hunter called L, a, b. Color opposition correlates with discoveries in the
CIE mid-1960s that somewhere between the optical nerve and the brain,
retinal color stimuli are translated into distinctions between light and
CIEXYZ dark, red and green, and blue and yellow. CIELAB indicates these
values with three axes: L*, a*, and b*. (The full nomenclature is 1976
CIELUV CIE L*a*b* Space.)
CIELAB
The central vertical axis represents lightness (signified as L*) whose
values run from 0 (black) to 100 (white). This scale is closely related to
Munsell's value axis except that the value of each step is much greater.
This is the same lightness valuation used in CIELUV.
The color axes are based on the fact that a color can't be both red and
green, or both blue and yellow, because these colors oppose each
other. On each axis the values run from positive to negative. On the a-
a' axis, positive values indicate amounts of red while negative values
indicate amounts of green. On the b-b' axis, yellow is positive and blue
is negative. For both axes, zero is neutral gray:
Therefore, values are only needed for two color axes and for the
lightness or grayscale axis (L*), which is separate (unlike in RGB, CMY
or XYZ where lightness depends on relative amounts of the three color
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CIELAB - Color Models - Technical Guides
channels).
CIELAB has become very important for desktop color. Like all CIE
models, it is device independent (unlike RGB and CMYK), is the basic
color model in Adobe PostScript (level 2 and level 3), and is used for
color management as the device independent model of the ICC
(International Color Consortium) device profiles.

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Using Adobe Gamma - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Using Adobe Gamma

Adobe Gamma
Adobe Gamma is a control panel utility in Mac OS and Windows. It is
Setting Adobe used to calibrate and characterize your monitor, resulting in the
Gamma Step by creation of an ICC monitor profile for use in Photoshop 5.x, InDesign,
Step Illustrator, and all other ICC-aware applications.
Setting Adobe Monitor Calibration and Characterization

Gamma Manually Calibrating and characterizing your monitor is the first step in any color-
managed workflow. Calibration is the process of adjusting a device to a
known set of conditions by setting the monitor's gamma and a known
white point. (In simplest terms, white point is the balance between the
red, green, and blue primaries which, combined in equal amounts at
full intensity, create white.)
Characterizing creates a monitor profile for use with a Color

Management System (CMS). Once the profile is created, it provides
information to ICC-aware applications about the monitor. An accurate
monitor profile is critical to a color-managed workflow since you will be
making judgments based on the colors you see on your monitor.
Third-Party Solutions
Monitor calibration and characterization is best done with specialized
software and hardware. Most of the available products are for the Mac
OS, though some are developed for Windows 95 as well. While Adobe
does not recommend any particular vendor's product, here is a short
list of some tools that range from relatively inexpensive software
solutions, to more expensive hardware/software solutions:
• Radius ProSense Professional Display Calibration System

Compatible with any monitor and Apple ColorSync. For Mac OS
only.
• Radius PressView monitors

A series of monitors engineered to be compatible with any CMS and
come with Radius SuperMatch Display Calibrator Pro.
• X-Rite Monitor Optimizer

A monitor calibration instrument for use with X-Rite ColorShop.
With these tools you can precisely calibrate your monitor and create
custom profiles that are ICC compliant. For Mac OS only.
• Pantone COLORVISION SpyderPRO with OptiCAL

The award winning Spyder colorimeter combined with OptiCAL
software offers you an easy and affordable monitor calibration
solution. Available for both Mac OS and Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP.
• Sonnetech Colorific
A quick and easy method for characterizing your monitor. Available
for Mac OS, Windows 95, and Windows NT.
Adobe Gamma
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Using Adobe Gamma - Technical Guides
Apart from third-party tools, the Adobe Gamma control panel can
provide reasonably accurate calibration and characterization that is
sufficient for most color-managed workflows.
The Adobe Gamma Control Panel

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The Adobe Gamma Control Panel - Using Adobe Gamma - Technical Guides
Canada
Main Using Adobe Gamma

The Adobe Gamma Control Panel
Adobe Gamma
Setting Adobe With Adobe Gamma you can calibrate your monitor's contrast and
Gamma Step by brightness, gamma (midtones), color balance, and white point. These
Step settings are then used to characterize, or create a profile for, your
monitor.
Setting Adobe
Gamma Manually Before You Begin
• Make sure your monitor has been turned on for at least half an hour
so its display has stabilized.
• Set the room lighting at the level you plan to maintain.
• Turn off any desktop patterns and change the background color on
your monitor to a light gray. This prevents the background color
from interfering with your color perception and helps you adjust the
display to a neutral gray. (For more on how to do this, refer to the
manual for your operating system.)
• Set the white point of your monitor. This is a hardware adjustment,

and how you do it depends on the monitor you are using. Most
monitors have a control panel. If you're unsure how to set the white
point on your monitor, consult the documentation that came with it.
If you work in a prepress environment, you should choose 5000K

(D50). This is the standard illuminant for the printing industry.
Otherwise, 6500K (D65) is a good choice. This is an important step.
Most monitors default to a white point at 9300K, which is too bright
for accurate color work. Unless the white point of your monitor
matches what you set it to in Adobe Gamma (steps 5–6), you will
not get good results from your color-managed workflow.
To access the Adobe Gamma control panel
In Mac OS
Choose Apple Menu > Control Panels > Adobe Gamma:
In Windows 95 or Windows 98
Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel:
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In the Control Panel, right-click the Adobe Gamma icon, and then
choose Open from the shortcut menu.
Note: If you're working in Adobe Photoshop 5.5 for Mac OS or

Windows, you can also access Adobe Gamma by choosing
Help > Color Management from the Photoshop menu bar:
When accessing Adobe Gamma for the first time, you will see the
following window prompting you to choose between the Step By Step
utility using the Adobe Gamma Assistant (Mac OS) or Wizard
(Windows), or manual setup using the Control Panel utility:

If Adobe Gamma has already been used to calibrate and characterize

your monitor, the above options will not appear. Instead, the Adobe
Gamma control panel will appear. If you prefer to use the Step By Step
utility, in Mac OS, click the Assistant button in the lower right of the
Adobe Gamma control panel:
In Windows, click the Wizard button:
For information about using the Step By Step Assistant (Mac OS) or
Wizard (Windows), proceed to Setting Adobe Gamma Step by Step.
For information about using the Adobe Gamma control panel, proceed
to Setting Adobe Gamma Manually.



Glossary of color management terms: Introduction
Canada
This technical guide includes definitions and illustrations of terms

related to color management. Because color management involves the
use of computers, and is related to traditional color-production
processes, this guide also includes definitions for terms related to
computing and traditional color production.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Copyright 2003 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use Privacy Policy Accessibility Avoid software piracy
Permissions and trademarks Product License Agreements
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Glossary of common color management terms: A
Canada

Absolute Colorimetric
The rendering intent that leaves colors that fall inside the destination
gamut unchanged. Out of gamut colors are clipped. No scaling of
colors to destination white point is performed. This intent aims to
maintain color accuracy at the expense of preserving relationships
between colors, and is useful for seeing how output will look on a non-
neutral substrate.
additive color model

The color model in which colors are produced by combining various
percentages of red, green, and blue light. In the additive color model,
white is produced by mixing 100% of each primary, whereas black is
produced the absence (i.e., 0%) of each primary. The additive color
model is used by computer monitors to produce their display.
additive primaries
Red, green, and blue (RGB). Lights of these colors, when mixed
together in varying intensities, produce any other color in the additive
color model.
Adobe Color Engine (ACE)

The color management model created by Adobe Systems, Incorporated
that is the default conversion engine used for ICC color-managed color
conversions within Adobe applications. Replaces the system level
CMS and CMMs for these transformations.
Adobe Gamma
The utility created by Adobe Systems, Incorporated for calibrating and
characterizing your monitor, resulting in the creation of an ICC device
profile for use in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe
Illustrator, and all other ICC-aware applications. For more information
on Adobe Gamma, see the technical guide, "Using Adobe Gamma."
Adobe PostScript
An object-oriented page description language developed by Adobe
Systems, Incorporated. PostScript is widely used for pixel-based
output devices (e.g., imagesetters).
Adobe RGB (1998)
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Glossary of common color management terms: A
The RGB working space created by Adobe Systems, Incorporated that

provides a fairly large gamut of colors and is well-suited for
documents that will be converted to CMYK.
Apple ColorSync
The color management system provided by Apple Computer, Inc. for
Mac OS computers.
Apple RGB
The RGB working space created by Apple Computer, Inc. that reflects
the characteristics of the Apple Standard 13-inch monitor, and is used
by a variety of desktop publishing applications.

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Glossary of common color management terms: B
Canada

black point
The point determined as absolute black on a color device, such as a
color monitor or printer, defined by a specific L*a*b value. In the
L*a*b model, absolute black has a value of 0 0 0.
Black Point Compensation

The setting in newer ICC-enabled Adobe applications (e.g., Adobe
Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop) that adjusts for differences in black
points when colors are converted between color spaces. When this
option is selected, the full dynamic range of the source color space is
mapped to the full dynamic range of the destination color space. When
deselected, the dynamic range of the source color space is simulated in
the destination color space. For more information, refer to the User
Guide for your Adobe application.
brightness
(1) The amount of light reflected by a surface. (2) The intensity of a
light source. (3) The luminance of a color.

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Glossary of common color management terms: C
Canada

calibration
The process of setting a device to known color conditions. Calibration
must be performed externally for devices whose color characteristics
change frequently. For example, calibration must be performed on
monitors because phosphors lose brightness over time, and on printers
because proofers and other digital printing devices can change output
when colorant or paper stock is changed. Calibration is not required for
most input devices (e.g., scanners and cameras) since these devices are
generally self-calibrating.
characterization
The process of creating an ICC profile that describes the unique color
characteristics of a particular device such as a monitor, scanner, color
printer, and printing press. Press Profiles may be based on standards
such as SWOP. Resultant ICC profiles define the gamut of a device in
the context of a device-independent color space so that colors may be
mapped to or from the device gamut.
chroma
The quality of a color that is the combination of hue and brightness. In
the Munsell system of color notation, chroma indicates the purity of a
color as measured along an axis; the farther from the axis, the purer the
color. See also saturation.
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CIE
The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage, a standards-setting
organization formed to study and promote standards related to color.
CIE has produced several influential color models: CIELAB and
CIEXYZ.
CIELAB
See L*a*b model.
CIEXYZ
See XYZ model.
clipping
Color shift caused by the inability of one color space to reproduce all
the colors of another color space. For example, using a colorimetric
rendering intent, any values in the source color space that are outside
the gamut of the destination color space are forced into its gamut, or
clipped. Colors that are within the gamut of both color spaces are left
alone. The result is that two colors that used to be different may now
share the same values, which results in visual color shifts. See also non-
reproducible colors.
CMYK
Abbreviation for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black; the inks used in
process printing. They represent the subtractive color model, where a
combination of 100% of each component yields black and 0% of each
yields white. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the subtractive
complements of red, green, and blue respectively.
color engine
See Color Management Module (CMM).
color management module (CMM)

Also called a Color Engine, the specific software component (e.g.,
Apple CMM, Heidelberg CMM, Agfa CMM) in a CMS (e.g.,
ColorSync) that does the color conversion calculations from one
device's color space to that of another using the ICC device profiles.
Photoshop 5.x, Illustrator 8.x, and InDesign have their own built-in
CMM that serves as the application's default CMM.
color management system (CMS)

A system-level framework that may be used by applications for
translating colors from the gamut of one device to the gamut of another
device. Apple ColorSync for Mac OS and Microsoft ICM 2.0 for
Windows are each an example of a CMS.
color model
The dimensional coordinate system used to numerically describe
colors. Some models include RGB, HSB, CMYK, and L*a*b*. For
more information, see the technical guide, "Color Models."
color profile

See ICC device profile.
color rendering dictionary (CRD)

A PostScript dictionary, which is the PostScript equivalent of a CMS
separations profile, that describes how color is rendered to a specific
device. PostScript color management allows the color space of an
output device to be stored at the device as a color rendering dictionary,
making device-independent output possible.
color space
A particular variant of a color model with a specific gamut or range of
colors, which is one of its chief characteristics. For example, within the
RGB color model are a number of color spaces like Apple RGB,
Adobe RGB (1998), sRGB, etc. While each of these define color by
the same three axes (R, G, and B), they differ in gamut as well as other
specific characteristics.
colorimeter
A device that measures the luminosity of a few (typically three to
eight) specific colors. A colorimeter can be used with software that
creates ICC device profiles for monitors. A monitor with an attached
hardware calibrator uses a colorimeter.
ColorMatch RGB
The RGB working space that is the native color space of Radius
Pressview monitors. This space provides a smaller gamut alternative to
Adobe RGB (1998) for print production work.
ColorSync
See Apple ColorSync.
ColorSync CMYK Default

The Default for Documents setting of ColorSync 3.0.1 that specifies
the default CMYK working space for applications that query the
ColorSync control panel. This working space may be inherited by
newer Adobe applications (e.g., Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and Adobe
Illustrator 9.0) when you specify "ColorSync Workflow" in the
application's Color Settings dialog box.
ColorSync RGB Default

The Default for Documents setting of ColorSync 3.0.1 that specifies
the default RGB working space for applications that query the
ColorSync control panel. This working space may be inherited by
newer Adobe applications (e.g., Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and Adobe
Illustrator 9.0) when you specify "ColorSync Workflow" in the
application's Color Settings dialog box.
composite printer
The printer used to make a composite color image of a file. This
printer can be used for proofing or for final output.
contract proof
The proof (e.g., Dupont WaterProof or Imation MatchPrint) of a color

printing job that is the basis of a contract between a printer and a

client. The appearance of the contract proof should represent the
appearance of final printed piece. See also hard proof.


Glossary of common color management terms: D
Canada

densitometer
A device that measures the density of exposed film (in transmissive
mode) or printed inks (in reflective mode). Densitometers are used to
calibrate output devices.
density
The degree of darkness (opacity) of a photographic image. Higher
density values represent greater opacity.
device-independent color space

A color model not related to any device, but is instead based on human
visual perception as defined by the CIE experiments begun in 1931.
Device-independent color spaces contain all colors that may be
perceived by a human observer. They are used as the intermediary
space known as the profile connection space (PCS) in ICC color
conversions, and may also be used to store or transmit color values.
dithering
The technique by which the gap between two pixels is filled with
another pixel. The color of the added pixel is an average of two on
either side of it to visually smooth the result. Dithering is generally
used when not enough colors are available.
dot gain
Measured by the increase in size of a midtone dot, the spreading of
dots during platemaking or on a printing press as wet ink is pushed
into the paper and possibly absorbed by it.

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Glossary of common color management terms: E
Canada

EPS
Appbreviation for Encapsulated PostScript, the file format based on
Adobe PostScript. Primarily used to define vector graphics (i.e.,
geometrical shapes), it can also be used to contain and provide
instructions for rendering image (i.e., pixel-based) data.
Euroscale Coated
The CMYK working space that uses specifications designed to
produce quality separations using Euroscale inks under the following
printing conditions: 350% total area of ink coverage, positive plate,
bright white coated stock.
Euroscale Uncoated
The CMYK working space that uses specifications designed to
produce quality separations using Euroscale inks under the following
printing conditions: 260% total area of ink coverage, positive plate,
uncoated white offset stock.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/E.html [24/8/2003 00:13:41]

Glossary of common color management terms: F
Canada

four-color process
The printing process that reproduces colors by combining, cyan (C),
magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) inks. This process is
alternately called four-color printing, CMYK printing, or process
printing.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/F.html [24/8/2003 00:13:48]

Glossary of common color management terms: G
Canada

gamma
The values produced by a monitor from black to white are nonlinear. If
you graph the values, they form a curve, not a straight line. Gamma
defines the slope of that curve at halfway between black and white.
Gamma adjustment compensates for the nonlinear tonal reproduction
of output devices such as monitor tubes. Gray Gamma 1.8 matches the
default grayscale display of Mac OS computers. Gray Gamma 2.2
matches the default grayscale display of Windows computers. See
also, Adobe Gamma.
gamut
The total range of colors produced by a device. A color is said to be
"out of gamut" when its position in one device's color space cannot be
directly translated into another device's color space. For example, the
total range of colors that can be reproduced with ink on coated paper is
greater than that for uncoated newsprint, so the total gamut for
uncoated newsprint is said to be smaller than the gamut for coated
stock. A typical CMYK gamut is generally smaller than a typical RGB
gamut.
GCR
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Glossary of common color management terms: G
Abbreviation for gray component replacement; the separation

technique where black ink is used to replace either a portion of the
unwanted component in a saturated color, or a combination of cyan,
magenta, and yellow equivalent to the unwanted component. Typically
specified to improve color control on older presses. Contrast UCR.
GIF
Acronym for Graphics Interchange Format; a commonly used graphic
file format (e.g., for Web pages) developed by Compuserve, Inc. that
can be either 1-bit or 8-bit, rendering from 2 to 256 colors or shades of
gray.
gray balance
The reduction of magenta and yellow in relationship to cyan required
to render a neutral on a CMYK device. Gray balance is required
because of ink hue errors. An example of dot percentages that will
yield a neutral on a U.S. printing press are 5% cyan, 3% magenta, and
3% yellow for the highlight neutral.
grayscale
(1) The series of tones stepped from white to black and containing no
color. (2) The Photoshop image mode used to represent a range of
neutral tones, such as those from black-and-white photographic
originals.

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Glossary of common color management terms: H
Canada

hard proof
The printed proof of a document created to preview how colors will
look when reproduced on a specific output device, usually a
commercial printing press. A hard proof may be produced using a
laminate contract proofing system (e.g., Imation MatchPrint) or a
tightly calibrated digital printer designed for proof creation. Contrast
soft proof.
HSB
A three-coordinate, device-independent color model. The HSB
coordinates define colors in terms of Hue, Saturation, and Brightness.
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Glossary of common color management terms: H
Hue
The color reflected from, or transmitted through, an object. It is
expressed as an angular position on a standard color wheel. In common
use, hue refers to the name of the color such as red, orange, or green.
hue error
Apparent impurities in process (CMYK) inks resulting in the unwanted
absorptions of colors that should be transmitted by a given ink, such as
green through cyan.

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Glossary of common color management terms: I
Canada

in-RIP
Refers to any process performed within a raster image processor (RIP).
Color screening, color management, and trapping are examples of
processes that can be performed in-RIP if the RIP supports that
process.
International Color Consortium (ICC)

The group established by eight industry vendors (including Adobe
Systems) for the purpose of creating, promoting, and encouraging the
standardization and evolution of an open, vendor-neutral, cross-
platform color management system architecture. For more information,
visit the ICC Web site at www.color.org.
ICC device profile

A file that describes how a particular device reproduces color. The
profile defines device gamut in the context of a device-independent
color space. Profiles can be either generic or custom. Generic profiles
are created by the device manufacturer who examines the color
characteristics of a group of the same devices under controlled
conditions, and then uses this information to create a profile. Custom
device profiles are created for an individual device, using a color-
measuring instrument (e.g., a spectrophotometer or colorimeter) and
device-profiling software.
International Standards Organization (ISO)

The group that creates and maintains international standards for
technology, including computer technology.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/I.html [24/8/2003 00:14:22]

Glossary of common color management terms: J
Canada

Japan Standard
The RGB working space that uses specifications designed to produce
quality separations using Japan Standard inks under the following
printing conditions: 300% total area ink coverage, positive plate,
coated publication-grade stock.
JPEG
Acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group. Commonly used to
indicate a pixel-based graphic file format, JPEG is actually a
compression method used mostly for continuous tone images.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/J.html [24/8/2003 00:14:30]

Glossary of common color management terms: K
Canada

Kelvin
The unit of measure used for color temperature. Kelvin is an extension
of the centigrade scale down to Absolute Zero (0 K). Light toward the
red end of the spectrum is cooler on the Kelvin scale. The light
produced by standard household light bulbs is approximately 2,800 K.
Standard color-viewing stations used in the graphic arts industry in the
U.S illuminate samples with 5,000 K light. In Europe and other
geographies, 6,500 K light is the standard.
Kodak CMS
An application-level CMS developed by Kodak for Mac OS and
Windows. The most current version uses ICC device profiles.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/K.html [24/8/2003 00:14:39]

Glossary of common color management terms: L
Canada

L*a*b model
The color model is based on the model proposed by the Commission
Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) in 1931 as an international standard
for color measurement. In 1976, this model was refined and named
CIE L*a*b. L*a*b color is designed to be device-independent and
perceptually uniform. L*a*b color consists of a luminance or lightness
component (L*) and two chromatic components: the a* component
(from green to red) and the b* component (from blue to yellow).
For more information, see the CIELAB section of the "Color Models"
technical guide.
legacy files
Files created in an earlier version of an application that may not
include support, or may include less support for some features (e.g.,
CMS) of the newer version of the application.
lightness
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Glossary of common color management terms: L
The property of a color that distinguishes white from gray or black.
lossless
Refers to a data compression method that retains all data from the
uncompressed file. LZW is a commonly used lossless compression
method and is commonly used for TIFF and GIF format files.
lossy
Refers to a data compression method where data is lost through
compression. JPEG is a commonly used lossy compression method for
images.
luminance
The brightness of a surface determined by the amount of light it emits
or reflects.

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Glossary of common color management terms: M
Canada

Microsoft ICM
The system-level CMS offered by Microsoft for Windows 98 and
Windows 2000 that uses the same default CMM as Apple ColorSync
for cross-platform compatibility. The most recent Adobe applications
for Windows use Microsoft ICM similar to the way Adobe
applications for Mac OS use ColorSync (i.e., to access profiles and
access system-provided CMMs.)
Monitor RGB
The RGB working space that reflects the current color profile of your
monitor.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/M.html [24/8/2003 00:15:08]

Glossary of common color management terms: N
Canada

neutral
Any color that has no hue, such as white, gray, or black, or a color that
has, in theory, equal intensity of all primary colors. (In the additive
color model, neutral cannot be represented using equal intensities of
cyan, magenta, and yellow due to hue errors in the inks.) See also gray
balance.
non-reproducible colors
Colors in an original photograph that are impossible to reproduce using
a given set of colorants because the colors fall outside of the gamut of
the device that uses those colorants. See also clipping.

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Glossary of common color management terms: P
Canada

PCS (profile connection space)

A device-independent color space used by a CMM for translating
colors from one device's gamut to another. The CMM translates colors
from the source color space defined by an ICC device profile to the
PCS, and then to the destination color space using a second ICC
profile. The PCS is selected by the CMM; it is not visible to users.
page description language (PDL)

A programming language, like those used by printers, that describes
the content of a page. Adobe PostScript is the most commonly used
PDL for high-end printers.
Perceptual
Also known as the image intent, this rendering intent aims to preserve
the visual relationship between colors in a way that is perceived as
natural to the human eye, although the color values themselves may
change. This intent is most suitable for photographic images.
phosphors
Chemical particles on CRT screens. When energized with the cathode
beam, these particles emit light. Different phosphors emit colors with
different characteristics.
PostScript
See Adobe PostScript.
pre-mixed inks
See spot color.
primary colors
Colors, usually three, which are combined to produce the full range of
other colors within a color model. All non-primary colors are mixtures
of two or more primary colors. Red, green, and blue are the primary
colors of the additive color model. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the
primary colors of the subtractive color model.
process colors
The subtractive primary colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY),
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Glossary of common color management terms: P
used in process printing.
process printing
The use of four transparent inks—cyan, magenta, yellow, and
black—to print continuous tone color images.
proofer
A device or system used to create tangible output that attempts to
simulate final process color presswork. Traditional proofers create
output from separation negatives; digital proofers create inkjet prints
(e.g., IRIS) or dye-sublimation prints (e.g., Kodak, 3M) directly from
digital files.

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Glossary of common color management terms: R
Canada

reference color space (RCS)

See PCS.
Relative Colorimetric
The rendering intent almost identical to Absolute Colorimetric except
for the following difference: Relative Colorimetric compares the white
point (extreme highlight) of the source color space to that of the
destination color space and shifts all colors accordingly.
Typically, this intent is appropriate for illustrations rather than images.

Newer ICC profiles delivered by Adobe Systems, however, have the
Relative Colorimetric intent of the profile tuned to properly render
images. Hence, Relative Colorimetric is the default rendering intent in
Photoshop 6.0 and Illustrator 9.0.
rendering intent
The method a CMM uses for compressing (i.e., mapping) colors from
one device's gamut to that of another. The four methods are Perceptual,
Saturation, Relative Colorimetric, and Absolute Colorimetric.
Rendering intent is specified for different types of data—images,
illustrations, or business graphics—to ensure the best color
reproduction.
RGB
Abbreviation for red, green, blue; the colors used in displays and input
devices. They represents the additive color model, where 0% of each
component yields black and 100% of each component yields white.
Red, green and blue are the additive complements of cyan, magenta,
and yellow respectively.
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Glossary of common color management terms: R

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Glossary of common color management terms: S
Canada

Saturation
(1) Sometimes called chroma, the strength or purity of a color.
Saturation represents the amount of gray in proportion to the hue,
measured as a percentage from 0% (gray) to 100% (fully saturated).
On the standard color wheel, saturation increases from the center to the
edge.
(2) The rendering intent for business graphics that maintains vivid
color at the expense of accurate color. It scales the source gamut to the
destination gamut but preserves relative saturation instead of hue, so
when scaling to a smaller gamut, hues may shift. This rendering intent
is primarily designed for business graphics, where bright saturated
colors are more important than the exact relationship between colors
(such as in a photographic image).
separations color
Any color in a document that needs to print as a separate plate on a
printing press.
separations printer
The printer (e.g., an imagesetter) used for outputting spot color or
process color separations.
soft proof
In a color-managed workflow, the use of ICC device profiles to
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preview document colors directly on your monitor as they will be

reproduced by a specific device. If a hard proof is viewed in controlled
(5000 K) lighting and the monitor is set to simulate that viewing
condition, colors from the soft proof will match the hard proof.
spectrophotometer
A device that measures a colors in terms of their energy at various
wavelengths across the visible spectrum. Measurements may then be
expressed on a spectral plot (that compares energy to wavelength) or
may be integrated into device-independent color space values, such as
L*a*b*. Spectral data is the most accurate form of color measurement
data. A spectrophotometer is typically used in the creation of ICC
device profiles for output devices. A spectrophotometer differs from a
colorimeter in that measures 16 or more colors.
spot color
Also called pre-mixed inks, the inks used for printing a specific color.
Spot color inks are cost-effective for two- or three-color printing and
may also be used for colors that process printing cannot adequately
produce. Use spot color inks when: you need three or fewer colors and
you will not be reproducing process-color photographs; you want to
print varnishes or special inks such as metallic, fluorescent, or
pearlescent spot inks; you want to print logos or other graphic
elements that require precise color matching; you want the limited
color variety you get from one or two spot colors and tints of those
colors. Companies that produce spot color inks include Pantone, DIC,
Focaltone.
SWOP
See U.S. Web Coated.
subtractive colors
Colors produced by the mixing of primary colors of the subtractive
color model: cyan, magenta, yellow (CMY).
subtractive color model

The color model in which colors are produced by combining various
percentages of the subtractive primaries, cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Four color printing uses cyan, yellow, and magenta (CMY) inks. In
theory, combining 100% of each cyan, magenta, and yellow should
produce a pure black. In practice, however, the combining of cyan,
magenta, and yellow inks does not produce a pure black due to
impurities in inks. For this reason, black ink (K) is used in addition to
the cyan, magenta, and yellow inks in four-color printing.

Whereas the additive color model depends on a light source to create

color, the subtractive color model depends on the light-absorbing
quality of transparent inks printed on paper. When white light reaches
the inks, part of the light's spectrum is absorbed and the rest is
reflected and perceived as color. In theory, combining pure cyan (C),
magenta (M), and yellow (Y) yields black by absorbing, or subtracting,
all parts of the spectrum. For this reason CMY are called subtractive
colors.
subtractive primaries
The primary colors of the subtractive color model: cyan, magenta,
yellow (CMY).


Glossary of common color management terms: T
Canada

TIFF
Acronym for Tag Image File Format; the graphics file format first
released by Aldus Corporation in 1986. TIFF is the standard file
format used for most digital imaging programs. TIFF is a highly
extensible format that allows image data to be tagged with additional
information through an image file directory (IFD) which contains
header-type information without actually being a part of the file's
header. TIFF can be used for black-and-white, grayscale, RGB, and
CMYK images. TIFF can be uncompressed or may use any of a
variety of compression methods, though TIFF most commonly uses
LZW compression.

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Glossary of common color management terms: U
Canada

UCR
Abbreviation for under-color removal; the separation technique where
black ink is used to replace equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and
yellow ink in a neutral so as to reduce the total area coverage (TAC).
Some printing presses and printers have a limited maximum TAC,
above which they cannot print. UCR results in less printed ink, but
may sacrifice tonal rendering in shadows. UCR (300% TAC) is
typically specified for publication or SWOP (see U.S. Web Coated)
standard printing. Contrast GCR.
U.S. Sheetfed Coated

The working space that uses specifications designed to produce quality
separations using U.S. inks under the following printing conditions:
350% total area ink coverage, negative plate, bright white coated
stock.
U.S. Sheetfed Uncoated

The working space that specifications designed to produce quality
260% total area ink coverage, negative plate, uncoated white offset
stock.
U.S. Web Coated (SWOP)

300% total area ink coverage, negative plate, coated publication-grade
stock.
U.S. Web Uncoated

260% total area ink coverage, negative plate, uncoated white offset
stock.
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Glossary of common color management terms: U

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Glossary of common color management terms: V
Canada

value
The relative lightness or darkness of a color.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/V.html [24/8/2003 00:18:05]

Glossary of common color management terms: W
Canada

white point
How the color white is reproduced. On a monitor, the white point is
the combination of all three red, green, and blue phosphors at full
intensity as measured by its color temperature in Kelvin. It is necessary
as a reference point in calibration and characterization.
working space
In Adobe InDesign 1.5, Adobe Illustrator 9.0, and Adobe Photoshop
6.0, a default ICC device profile associated with the RGB, CMYK, and
Grayscale color models and with spot colors in a document. The
working spaces specified by predefined settings represent the color
profiles that will produce the best color fidelity for several common
output conditions. For example, the U.S. Prepress Defaults setting uses
a CMYK working space that is designed to preserve color consistency
under standard Specifications for Web Offset Publications (SWOP)
press conditions.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/W.html [24/8/2003 00:18:57]

Glossary of common color management terms: X
Canada

XYZ model
The device-independent color model developed by the CIE to which
all other visible colors can be related. In creating XYZ, the CIE
transformed RBG values via mathematical formulas into the
coordinates: x, y, and z. While x and z values have no specific
perceptual correlates, the y value represents brightness (luminance).
For more information, see the CIEXYZ section of the "Color Models"
technical guide.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/cms_glossary/X.html [24/8/2003 00:19:50]

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Basic Color Theory for the Desktop - Technical Guides

Customer Support Technical Guides Color

Main Basic Color Theory for the Desktop

The phenomenon of seeing color is dependent on a triad of factors: the

These aspects are further explained in the sections below:

Light and Color

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Light and Matter

This guide is intended as a general background to other technical

• "Color Management Systems"

• "Color Management in Adobe Photoshop 5.0"

• "Color Management Workflows for Photoshop 5.0"

• "Color Management in Adobe Illustrator 8.0.x"

Copyright ©2000 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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Customer Support Technical Guides Color

Main Color Theory for the Desktop

Other ways of measuring EM radiation are by frequency (measured in

There are different types of EM radiation including gamma rays, x-rays,

The human eye is only sensitive to EM radiation at wavelengths that

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/colortheory/light.html (1 of 5) [23/8/2003 23:52:49]

The visible spectrum contains numerous colors that are distinguished

More commonly, however, the spectrum is arranged in order of

The combination of these light waves produces white light, which is

We have already characterized light as energy. In general, then, any

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Other, more obscure, means of producing light come from chemical

Light sources, whether actual sources or illuminants, are primarily

Color temperature is always measured in kelvins, units of measurement

Spectral Power Distribution

The following graphs represent the spectral power distributions for a

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/colortheory/light.html (3 of 5) [23/8/2003 23:52:49]

Compare these to representations of the spectral power distributions of

Note how the florescent source is relatively low in terms of relative

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One candela is the intensity of the light radiating from 1/50th of a

Copyright ©2000 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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Customer Support Technical Guides Color

Main Color Theory for the Desktop

First, let's look at the general properties of light interacting with

• It will be wholly or partly transmitted.

• It will be wholly or partly reflected.

• It will be wholly or partly absorbed.

Some alteration does take place, however, according to the refractive

The point where two substances of differing RI meet is called the

http://www.adobe.com/support/techguides/color/colortheory/matter.html (1 of 5) [23/8/2003 23:53:41]

object. This is called refraction.

Light striking the surface of an object straight on (that is, at normal

The RI of a substance is further affected by the wavelength of the light

If light is only partly transmitted by the object (the rest being

The degree of absorption is the only essential difference. Light

A smooth or glossy surface is one made up of particles of equal, or

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Scattering, or diffusion, is another aspect of reflection. When a

Most commonly, light striking an opaque object will be both reflected

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However, as mentioned earlier (and as we'll see later when we discuss

Spectral Reflectance/Transmittance Curve

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The importance of spectral reflectance or transmittance curves lies in

Copyright ©2000 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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Customer Support Technical Guides Color