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From Darkness to Light: Do you know how colors appear in three-dimensional space?
The presentation of color is not just what the eyes see, it spreads to many fields of mathematics, physics and visual perception. Color science attempts to explain these phenomena through different color models, which show how colors are represented in three-dimensional space as numerical tuples. In addition to mathematical representation, this model can also be applied to art and design, allowing us to better understand the nature of color.
A color model is an abstract mathematical model that describes how color is represented as a tuple of numbers, usually consisting of three or four values.
Tristimulus Color Space
In tristimulus color space, we can imagine this space as a three-dimensional Euclidean space, with the x, y, and z axes corresponding to the stimulation of red, green, and blue photoreceptors respectively. The origin of this space represents black, while white is defined by the color temperature or white balance of the light source. The color perception of the human eye presents a horseshoe-shaped cone, extending outward from the origin and tending to expand infinitely.
The human stimulus three-dimensional color space makes additive mixing of colors correspond to the addition of vectors in this space.
CIE XYZ color space
In 1931, the International Commission on Illumination created the CIE XYZ color space, one of the first mathematically defined color spaces. This model is tested against human observers' color perception within a specific visual range and uses a subjective brightness function to describe the perception of various colored light sources.
Additional and subtractive color models
RYB color model
RYB is a subtractive color model commonly used in art and design. Its main colors are red, yellow and blue, which is particularly suitable for the application of oil paintings and pigments. This model is compared to another color model, RGB, which is an additive mixing model based on light that is often used in televisions and monitors.
RGB color model
The RGB color model uses the three primary colors of red, green, and blue to achieve color presentation through additive mixing. Different devices may give different color outputs for the same RGB values, which highlights the importance of color management.
CMY and CMYK color models
The CMY model is based on the principle of subtractive mixing of cyan, magenta and yellow, while CMYK adds black to improve the reproduction of dark colors. These models are primarily used in the printing industry and are capable of rendering a wider range of colors.
Cylindrical coordinate color model
Cylindrical coordinate color models (such as HSL and HSV) present colors through cylindrical shapes, making it easier for users to understand color combinations and changes. These models are influenced by color perception, making manipulation of color more intuitive.
HSL and HSV models are designed with more traditional and intuitive color mixing methods in mind, making color manipulation more convenient.
Types of other color systems
For example, the Munsell color system in the United States, which classifies colors based on hue, saturation and value, has high application value.
Mechanism model of color vision
Color models can also refer to mechanistic models of color vision, which help explain how color signals are transmitted from cones in the retina to nerve cells, which is critical to understanding the process of color perception.
In summary, the representation and perception of color cover multiple scientific fields, from physics to visual psychology, and our understanding of color is still evolving. Have you ever wondered how colors affect our emotions and ways of thinking in different environments and situations?
