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Colour models

Source: licencja: CC 0.

Modele barw

You will learn
  • to identify colour models,

  • to use them according to their purpose.

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Colour is a sense impression of a human when the mixture of elecromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum strikes his or her eye. People do not necessarily see colours the same. The cells of the retina in the eyes responsible for the perception of colours are sensitive to light due to specific proteins which they are composed of. These proteins are not identical in all people and therefore we see the world in different shades. For example one person may recognise a colour as purple, while the other as pink. Gender differences in the reception of colours also occur; men usually see less shades than women. Moreover, there are visual impairments related to the recognition of the colour.

We come across the computer analysis of the image on na everyday basis. An example can be satelite pictures commonly available on the Internet. The computer processing of the image has been widely used in medicine – diagnostic imaging (e.g. ultrasonography), in films and computer games – special effects. An information system must reproduce the full colour palettecolour palettecolour palette of the surrounding world, adjust the method of displaying an image and the saturationsaturationsaturation, contrastcontrastcontrast, brightnessbrightnessbrightness and transparencytransparencytransparency of colours so that the image is as clear and understandable as possible.

Task 1
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Think about the areas of life in which colours are applied. For example in physics – the dispersion of white light in a prism. Find examples on the Internet.

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Probably each of you has played with the mixing of paints. Therefore you know that the primary colours are yellow, red and blue. This is one of the first models of the colourcolourcolour space, composed of R – red, Y – yellow and B – blue. It was described by Isaac Newton in optics.

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Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.

In information technology there are also sets of primary colours, they are called colour models. On the one hand, they are used to reproduce natural colours, but on the other hand, they can be easily applied to specific purposes and converted into one another. Alternative and very simplified solutions are created, which are used for image displaying and processing.

The most common processes that you come across are displaying images on electronic devices and printing.

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How many devices displaying images have you used today?

The RGB colour modelcolour modelcolour model is used to reproduce colour image on telephones, smartphones, tablets, computers, TV sets etc. The theory of trichromatic colour vision (three component colours) was the basis for the creation of the RGB colour modelcolour modelcolour model. The theory assumes that every colour can be obtained by mixing the component colours: R – red, G – green and B – blue. Note that this model applies to emitted light.

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Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.

Every of the three component colours can be expressed as 256 values (from 0 to 255) in 1 B (byte) of the computer memory. When you multipy these numbers, you will obtain 16,777,216 possible colours in the colour palettecolour palettecolour palette. In order to store a colour of the palette, you need 3 bytes of the computer memory. If all the component colours are expressed as zero [0, 0, 0], the resulting colour is black. When every component colour is at its maximum [255,255,255], then the resulting colour is white.

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The CMY colour modelcolour modelcolour model, like the RGB colour model, was created with the use of the theory of trichromatic colour vision, according to which you can obtain any colour by mixing three colours: C – cyan, M – magenta and Y – yellow.

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Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
Task 2
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Open the geogebra applet. In the simulation you can try to obtain a new colour in the RGB and CMY colour models. Try to obtain exactly the same shade of orange and purple in both models.

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Aplet geogebry: Tworzenie kolorów w modelach RGB I CMY. Poniżej znajduje się galeria będąca wersją alternatywną dla aplikacji.
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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The CMYK colour model is commonly used in printing. The three colours of the CMY colour model are completed with black (K). The last letter of the word, not the first, was chosen so that B is not confused with Blue in the RGB colour model. The CMY and CMYK colour models reproduce reflected light, as opposed to the RGB colour model. In the picture below you can see the differences between the image displayed on the screen in the RGB colour model (left) and in the CMYK colour model (right).

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Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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Raster graphics editors use the HSV colour model as it defines colours as similar to the colours perceived by humans as possible.

Task 3
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Open the graphics application which is installed on your computer. Find the option in settings which enables changing the colour modelcolour modelcolour model of displaying images. Check how many such models are at your disposal.

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Graphical file formats and colour models

  • GIF files offer limited possibilities of reproducing the colour palettecolour palettecolour palette. Every pixel of an image can be described only by one of 256 of the palette colours. That is why they are less suitable for colour gradients.

  • JPG files are intended primarily for reproducing photographs and support the full colour palette. The JPG file format enables reproducing the full RGB and CMYK colour palettes.

  • PNG files support the full colour palettecolour palettecolour palette and transparencytransparencytransparency. The PNG file format supports the RGB colour modelcolour modelcolour model and is recommended for reproducing web graphics.

Task 4
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In a raster graphics programme, open a picture taken by you. Check if you can change the colours of the photograph, and modify brightnessbrightnessbrightness and contrastcontrastcontrast. Save the effect of your work in the JPG, PNG and GIF formats. Compare the quality of the images.

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The RGB colour model applies to images which are displayed on the screen, while the CMYK colour model applies to images which are printed.

Exercises

Exercise 1
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Wersja alternatywna ćwiczenia: Identify which of the following sentences about colour models are true: Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. The RYB colour model was described by Isaac Newton in mathematics., 2. The HSV colour model defines colours as similar to the colours perceived by humans as possible., 3. The RGB colour model applies to images which are displayed on the screen., 4. The CMYK colour model applies to images which are printed.
zadanie
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
Exercise 2
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Wersja alternatywna ćwiczenia: Identify which of the following sentences about graphical file formats are true. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. GIF files support only 256 colours., 2. GIF files are suitable for colour gradients., 3. JPG files are intended primarily for reproducing photographs., 4. The JPG file format enables reproducing the full RGB and CMYK colour palettes., 5. PNG files support transparency., 6. The PNG file format is not recommended for reproducing web graphics.
zadanie
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
Exercise 3

Describe in English the differences between the RGB and CMY colour models.

Exercise 4
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Wersja alternatywna ćwiczenia: Indicate which pairs of expressions or words are translated correctly. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. barwa - colour, 2. model barw - colour model, 3. paleta kolorów - colour palette, 4. nasycenie - saturation, 5. przeźroczystość - brightness, 6. gradient - contrast
zadanie
Source: GroMar, licencja: CC BY 3.0.
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Interaktywna gra, polegająca na łączeniu wyrazów w pary w ciągu jednej minuty. Czas zaczyna upływać wraz z rozpoczęciem gry. Jeden ruch to odkrywanie najpierw jednej potem drugiej karty z wyrazem. Każdy wyraz jest odczytywany. Kolejny ruch to odkrywanie trzeciej i czwartej karty. W ten sposób odsłuchasz wszystkie wyrazy. Nawigacja z poziomu klawiatury za pomocą strzałek, odsłuchiwanie wyrazów enterem lub spacją. Znajdź wszystkie pary wyrazów.
Source: Zespół autorski Politechniki Łódzkiej, licencja: CC BY 3.0.

Glossary

colour
colour

barwa

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wymowa w języku angielskim: colour
colour model
colour model

model barw

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wymowa w języku angielskim: colour model
colour palette
colour palette

paleta kolorów

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wymowa w języku angielskim: colour palette
saturation
saturation

nasycenie

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wymowa w języku angielskim: saturation
transparency
transparency

przezroczystość

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wymowa w języku angielskim: transparency
brightness
brightness

jasność

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wymowa w języku angielskim: brightness
contrast
contrast

kontrast

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wymowa w języku angielskim: contrast
colour gradient
colour gradient

gradient

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wymowa w języku angielskim: colour gradient

Keywords

colourcolourcolour

colour modelcolour modelcolour model

colour palettecolour palettecolour palette