The difference between RGB and CMYK

RGB color mode is a color standard in the industry, through the change of red (R), green (G), blue (B) three color channels and their superposition to get a variety of colors, RGB is the color representing red, green, blue three channels, this standard includes almost all the colors that human vision can perceive. It is one of the most widely used color systems. What is relevant to our computers is that most current monitors use the RGB color standard, which is why it is so important to us.

On the display, the color is produced by the electron gun on the red, green and blue light-emitting poles of the screen, and the current computer can generally display 32-bit colors, about one million colors or more. If the color it shows is not exactly consistent with a certain color in nature, it is almost impossible for our naked eyes to distinguish.

Application of computer design:

Monitor display

Unique Features:

The color is rich and full, but it cannot be used for ordinary color separation printing.

Color mixing setting (addition mixing):RGB is designed from the principle of color luminescence, the popular point is that its color mixing method is like red, green, blue three lights, when their light overlap each other, the color is mixed, and the brightness is equal to the sum of the brightness of the two lights (the brightness of the two lights!) The more mixing, the higher the brightness, that is, additive mixing. Colored light can be diluted and brightened by achromatic light. If blue light meets white light, the result is a brighter light blue. After knowing its mixing principle, it is easy to set the color in the software. In the superposition of red, green and blue lights, the brightest superposition area in the center of the three colors is white, and the characteristics of addition mixing are: the more superimposed, the brighter. The red, green and blue three color channels are each divided into 255 levels of brightness, and the "light" is weakest at 0 - it is turned off, and the "light" is brightest at 255. When the three color values are the same, it is a grayscale color without color, and when the three colors are 255, it is the brightest white, and when the three colors are 0, it is black.

CMYK color mode

Color properties:

In short, it is a color specially used for printing.

It is another color standard specifically set for the printing industry, through the four color changes of blue (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), black (K) and their superposition between each other to get a variety of colors, CMYK is on behalf of blue, magenta, yellow, black four printing ink color. It is also the color of the four channels in Photoshop.

Specifically to the printing, it is produced by controlling the overlapping printing of blue, magenta, yellow and black ink on the paper, and its number of colors is less than RGB colors.

Application of computer design:

Four-color printing, four-color printing, etc.

Unique Features:

The color is not as rich and full as RGB color, and the running speed in PHOTOSHOP will be slower than RGB color, and some functions will not be available, because the number of colors is not as many as RGB color, when the image is converted from RGB color to CMYK color, there will be some loss of color (from CMYK to RGB there will be no loss). But it is also the only color standard that can be used for four-color separation printing.

Color mixing Settings (subtraction mixing):

CMYK is designed based on the principle of reflection of light, so its mixing method is just the opposite of RGB, "subtractive mixing".

When their colors are superimposed on each other, the colors blend and the brightness decreases. Why is this? Look at how the light enters the eye through the print, and it will be clear.

After the four different inks are printed on the white paper, because the ink is transparent, most of the light will be the first time through the ink to the paper, and the white paper reflective rate is higher, most of the light will be reflected by the white paper through the ink for a second time, and then shot to the eye, at this time the light on the ink transmission produced color effect.

In fact, it is as if we are looking at multiple overlapping colored glasses, and the brightness decreases when the light passes through each layer, and the colors mix with each other once.

The superposition of blue, magenta and yellow ink, the superposition area of the central three colors is black, and the characteristics of subtraction mixing are: the more superimposed, the darker.

In the software, the blue, magenta, yellow, black four channel color each according to the percentage count, 100% is the deepest, 0% is the lightest, and black and color mixing has little to do with it, its existence is mostly to facilitate the adjustment of color brightness (and in printing, the use of single black opportunities are many).

Like addition mixing, the three color values are the same and the gray color is colorless.