Understanding Color/Color models | Index | Home |
CMYK color model |
Colors on self-luminous devices, such as televisions and computer monitors, are produced by mixing the three RGB primary colors, but color reproduction media such as printed matter and paintings work by absorbing some wavelengths and reflecting others. |
The three RGB primary colors, when mixed, produce white, but the three CMY primary colors produce black when they are mixed together. Since actual inks will not produce pure colors, black (K) is included as a separate color, and the model is called CMYK. The range of reproducible colors is narrower than RGB, so when RGB data is converted to CMYK data, the colors seem dirtier. |