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Desktop Color Primer
Hue, saturation, and brightness
A color can be described in terms of three varying characteristics, called the HSB color
model:
• Hue—tint (the qualitative aspect of a color—red, green, or orange)
• Saturation—the purity of the color
• Brightness—relative position between white and black
While the CIE chromaticity diagram (color example 2) conveys hue and saturation, a
three-dimensional color model is required to add the brightness component (color
example 3).
Many computer applications include dialog boxes in which you choose colors by
manipulating hue, saturation, and brightness. For example, some applications use a
color picker (color example 4) which can be reconfigured according to your preference.
Additive and subtractive color systems
Color devices used in desktop publishing and printing simulate the range of visible
colors using a set of primary colors that are combined to create other colors. There are
two methods for creating a range of colors from a set of primary colors. Computer
monitors and scanners are based on the additive color model. Printing technologies,
including the Fiery 3850C and offset presses, are based on the subtractive color
model.
Additive (RGB) color
Color devices that use the additive color model make a range of colors by combining
varying amounts of red, green, and blue light. These colors are called the additive
primaries (color example 5). White is created by adding the maximum amount of red,
green, and blue light available. Black occurs wherever all three colors are absent. Grays
are created by adding equal amounts of all three colors together. Combining varying
amounts of any two of the additive primaries creates a third, saturated hue.
A familiar device based on this color model is the computer monitor (color example 6).
Monitors have red, green, and blue phosphors that emit varying amounts of light to
display a given color. Scanners create digital representations of colors by measuring
their red, green, and blue components through colored filters.
