Color Terminology
Achromatic ColorA neutral color - black, gray or white. (See Chromatic.) Additive Primary ColorsLight colors from which all colors can be made: red, green and blue (RGB). Adding all three in equal amounts produces white light. Adding the three colors in varying amounts produces all colors of the gamut. Adding two primary colors in equal amounts produces a subtractive primary. Read more about additive colors. BlackThe absence of all reflected light. When an object absorbs all light, it looks black. Theoretically, when subtractive primaries (cyan, magenta and yellow) are combined at maximum intensity, the result should be black. This is true for color film. But the colors of printer ink are not as pure. Combining cyan, magenta and yellow printer ink results in a muddy brown. To correct the problem, printers use black ink for black. Printer inks are abbreviated CMYK. A "K" is used for black to avoid confusion with blue. Black Body RadiationThe light emitted by a black body. A black body absorbs all light which it receives. None is reflected and none passes through it. When a black body is cold, it appears black. Read about color temperature. BlueOne of the three additive primary colors. It's wavelength is approximately 440 - 490 nanometers. BrightnessUsed in the HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) color model. Brightness is the degree to which a color appears to reflect light. ChromaThe property of color which makes it appear to be strong in color (saturated). Pastel colors are low in chroma. A red apple is high in chroma. White, black and gray have no chroma. Chroma is used in the LCH color model (lightness, chroma, hue) and the Munsell Color System. Chromatic ColorAll non-neutral colors, that is, all colors which are not black, gray or white. In the English language, the work "color" usually means a chromatic color. Chromaticitykrohm uh tis' i tee The quality of a color which is determined by its purity and dominant wavelength. CIEInternational Commission on Illumination. Commission internationale de l'éclairage (its French name.) Established for the first time in 1931 a system of scientifically defining light colors or additive colors. It is the international organization which concerns itself with color and color management. CIE XYZThe color model developed by the CIE in 1931. It was the first model to mathematically define color. Others CIE models came later. It defines color in terms of the amount of each primary color that is needed to produce a color as the average person perceives it. The CIE XYZ is different from other color models, like CMYK or RGB in that it allows us to unambiguously define color as it is perceived. The CMYK and RGB define amounts of color, not the actual color. Read more about CIE XYZ. CIE LAB (CIE L* a* b*, CIELab, CIELAB)Mathematically derived from the CIE XYZ. L* = lightness, a* = red-greenness, b* = yellow-blueness. These are synthetic primaries. Read more about CIE Lab. CIE Standard IlluminantsThe light source (illuminant) will affect our perception of a color due to the color temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to include the standard illuminant data in addition to any tristimulus values when describing a color. The CIE established spectral data sets for different types of light sources which describe their spectral components. This data is used in place of any actual measurements of the light source. CIE Standard ObserverPeople perceive color differently. In the 1920s, W. David Wright and John Guild conducted color experiments using a number of different people. The results of what these people perceived were tabulated. The CIE standard observer is the term given to the tabulated collective numerical values resulting from their experiments. Read more about the standard observer. CIE Tristimulus Valuestrī stim' yə ləs The amount of each of the primary light colors (red, green, blue) needed to create a given color. See Tristimulus. CIE xy Chromaticity DiagramA 2-dimensional graph specifying coordinates for chromaticity. The brightness is constant. CIE xyz Chromaticity CoordinatesThe values used to plot the CIE xyY chromaticity diagram. This diagram visually represents the entire gamut of visible colors. The values were calculated from the CIE XYZ tristimulus values. CMMColor Matching Method. In order for a device to consistently produce a perceived color, it needs to be numerically adjusted. The adjustment will either be sent to or received from the device. This is done with software. CMYCyan, magenta, yellow. These are the subtractive primary colors. CMY is a color space, a way of describing color. CMYKCyan, magenta, yellow, black. "K" is used for black to avoid confusion with blue. Printers use these colors. ColorA perception of what we see, based on how different wavelengths of light stimulate the color receptors or cones in the retina of our eyes. Color ConstancyOur perception of surface colors will change as the light changes. Color constancy is the amount of stability of the color perception. Color ManagementIn order for the color we perceive to be constant, signals sent to input, display and output devices need to be adjusted. Each device has a profile to reference color behavior to a known standard. Color Matching FunctionsEach wavelength of light needs to be matched to its relative amount of the three additive primaries. This is a numerical value and is usually based on the CIE Standard Observer. Color ModelA way of defining colors mathematically. Usually based on relative values of the primary colors. Examples: RGB, CIELab, CMYK. Color SeparationThe colors used in a computer monitor (red, green and blue) are converted to cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) to enable a printer to reproduce them. Color SpaceA way of representing colors, usually three dimensional. Read more about color space. Color TemperatureOur perception of a color actually changes with its temperature. Color temperature is the measurement of the color of white light, expressed in Kelvin. Read more about color temperature. Color WheelA circle with the all colors of the visible spectrum going around it in a continuum. Complementary colors are opposite each other. ColorantThe medium used to produce a color. This can be ink, pigment, toner, dye or phosphors. ColorimeterAn instrument used to measure the relative intensities of red, green and blue light which is reflected or emitted (transmitted) through a color sample. Computer monitors use colorimeters. ColorSyncA color management system which Apple Computer developed for the Macintosh operating system. Complementary ColorsColors which are opposite each other in a color model like a color wheel. When complementary colors are mixed together, they produce some shade of gray. ConesThe part of the human eye which perceives color. There are three types of cones which are able to perceive either red, green or blue light. Read more about cones. CyanA subtractive primary color. Cyan absorbs all red light and reflects green and blue. It wavelength is midway between blue and green and equals 485 nm. Used for printing. DensitometerAn instrument used to measure optical density. DensitySee optical density. Device DependentA description of a color space which depends on physical colorants and the physical properties of a device. Printers, for example, use the CMYK color space. Computer monitors use the RGB color space. Device IndependentA description of a color space which uses primary colors as its basis and is not dependent on the properties of a physical device. Device-dependent color spaces can define an unambiguous definition of a color, based on human perception. DyeA colorant which is soluble, unlike pigment, which is insoluble. Dyes can produce brighter colors than pigments, but also are less stable and tend to fade over time. Four Color ProcessDepositing combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and black on paper to produce a visible image. The colors are deposited as dots which are different shapes, sizes and angles in order to create an illusion of different colors. GamutThe full range of colors which can be perceived, produced or represented by a color model. Read more about color gamut. Grassman's LawsLaws developed by Hermann Grassmann which govern the results of additive color mixing. GreenOne of the three additive primary colors. It's wavelength is approximately 520 - 570 nanometers. HiFi PrintingAdding additional, special ink colors to the cyan, magenta, yellow and black. HSB Color ModelA color model based on the properties of hue (H), saturation (S) and brightness (B). HueThe color of an object or light source (red, orange, green, etc.) IlluminantA light source which has a known spectral distribution. IntensityHow bright or dull, clear or muted a color is. Kelvin (K)Used to measure color temperature. The Kelvin scale starts at absolute zero which is equal to -273° Celsius. LCH Color ModelDerived from CIELab. Instead of the rectangular coordinates, it uses lightness (L), chroma (C) and hue (H). LightThe part of the electromagnetic spectrum which has a wavelength between 380 and 720, the part humans can see. LightnessThe degree to which colors appear to reflect light. Used in the LCH color model. LRVLight Reflectance Value. The amount of visible light a surface reflects. Refers strictly to the lightness or darkness of a color. This value usually appears on the back of a paint color strip. It ranges from 0% to 100% with 0% being absolute black and 100% being perfectly white. The LRV of 0% and 100% do not exist in reality. The blackest black on the LRV scale is 5%. The whitest white is about 85%. LuminanceA measurement which describes the amount of light which passes through an area. LuminositySee brightness MagentaA subtractive primary color. Magenta absorbs all green light and reflects red and blue. It wavelength is midway between blue and green and around 550 nm. Magenta is used in printing. MetamerismUsing the color gamut, a given color can be made by any number of combinations of the primary colors. Read more about metamerism. Metamerism can also mean the phenomenon where a color looks different under different light sources due to color temperature. Read about color temperature. MonochromaticA type of color which consists of a single wavelength. Munsell Color SystemA three dimensional color space developed by Albert Munsell in the early part of the 20th century. It is based on the attributes of hue, value and chroma. Read more about the Munsell Color System. NanometerA unit of measurement used to measure the wavelength of visible light. Abbreviated nm. There are one million nanometers in a millimeter. Optical Density, ODA measure of how much a material is able to absorb light. Darker materials have high optical density. Lighter materials have low. Expressed in units of OD. PigmentA colorant which is insoluble. (Dyes are soluble.) Pigments tend to fade less and be more permanent than dyes. PixelTiny dots which contain red, green and blue information in order to produce color on a monitor or scanner. They are similar to dots of ink on a piece of paper. The resolution of a monitor is expressed in terms of pixels per inch or ppi. (A printer's resolution is expressed in terms of dots per inch or dpi.) PolarizationWhen the special orientation of the electromagnetic waves of light are not random, they are polarized. Read more about polarization. PrimariesThe components of a primary color in a color space or color model. The primaries may be actual primary colors as in CYMK and RGB or they may be mathematical values as in the CIE XYZ or CIELab. Primary ColorA color which has a single frequency and cannot be made by any combination of other colors. All non-primary colors can be made by combining the primary colors. Primary colors of light (additive) are red, green and blue (RGB). Primary colors of pigments or dyes (subtractive) are cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY). RedOne of the three additive primary colors. It's wavelength is approximately 625 - 740 nanometers. RGBThe additive primaries red, green and blue. See Additive Primaries. RYBThe subtractive primaries red, yellow and blue. In the 18 th century, these three colors became the foundation of color theory. Spatial ContrastTwo adjacent areas which have some visual difference, for example, black letters on a white page. SaturationThe property of color which makes it appear to be strong in color. Pastel colors have low saturation. A red apple has high saturation. Also called chroma. Spectral DataDescribing a color by specifying the amount of each wavelength the color contains. This is the most precise description of a color. Typically, 10 nanometer or 20 nanometer bands are used. Spectral LightA light color which is monochromatic, or nearly so. Spectral Power DistributionThe amount of light at each wavelength produced by a light source. SpectrophotometerAn instrument used to produce spectral data. It measures the amount of light a color reflects or transmits at each wavelength. SpectrumA representation of the spatial arrangement of electromagnetic energy, shown as a continuum of wavelength size. Standard IlluminantsSee CIE Standard Illuminants. Standard ObserverSee CIE Standard Observer. Subtractive Primary ColorsCyan, magenta and yellow, the primaries of pigments or dyes which create reflective colors. Cyan absorbs (subtracts) red light and reflects blue and green. Magenta absorbs (subtracts) green light and reflects blue and red. Yellow absorbs blue light and reflects red and green. Read more about subtractive primaries. Tristimulus (Tri-stimulus)trī stim' yə ləs When describing color, there are three values used. Different color spaces use different values. The values are usually relative amounts of the three light source primary additive colors needed to produce a color. Read more about tristimulus. Tristimulus DataThe three tristimulus values used to create or define a color. For example, in the RGB color space, Red 255, Green 0, Blue 0 would equal true red. Read more about tristimulus. Visible SpectrumThe range of colors humans can see. We are able to see colors with wavelengths between 380 and 720 nanometers. The wavelengths in this range stimulate the cones (color receptors) in our retina. We see the shorter wavelengths as blue and violet. The longer wavelengths are seen as red and orange. YellowA subtractive primary. Its wavelength is 570 - 580 nm. Yellow absorbs all wavelengths of blue light and reflects all red and green.
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Additive and Subtractive Colors
CIE 1931 Color Space
Colorimetry
Color Space
Color Temperature
Spinning Color Top
Glossary of Color Terms
History of Color Science
Metamerism
Motion After Image
Munsell Color System
TriStimulus
Refraction
Double Slit
Polarization
Human Eyesight
The Retina
Color Optical Illusions
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