About Color Converter Tool

This tool helps you to convert between color formats (HEX, RGB, CMYK, HSL, HWB, HSB, LAB, NCOL, Pantone (PMS)) by inserting your color code in the format you have to see the color conversion in other formats.

What is Color Model?

Creating a visual representation of something can help you understand its nature. Humans do this fairly often, from scribbling notes in lectures to drawing charts and maps to explain a particular dataset. Most of us learn visually, and seeing something in comparison to hearing it is completely different. Over the years, artists and scientists have depicted the spectrum in all kinds of different ways, always attempting to present this abstract concept as something comprehensible.

A color modelis a multidimensional visual representation of the color spectrum. Color models generally have three dimensions (like RGB), and so can be represented as 3D shapes, while others have more dimensions (like CMYK). Currently, digital design tools and programming languages use the RGB, HSV, and HSL color models. As each of these color models uses only RGB primary colors (Red, Green, Blue), they illustrate how color models can represent the same color spectrum in different dimensions.

You could say that all models ultimately all come out at RGB. But usually we do not distinguish one, but two main color models, which are also the best known; RGB and CMY. These color models can be further subdivided into sub-color models. For example, RGB has for instance sub-models HSL and HSV.

RGB Color Model

The RGB color model is an additive color model[1] in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.

The main purpose of the RGB color model is, for the sensing, representation, and display of images in electronic systems , such as televisions and computers, though it has also been used in conventional photography. Before the electronic age, the RGB color model already had a solid theory behind it, based on human perception of colors.

When To Use RGB?

If the end destination of your design project is a digital screen, use the RGB color mode. This would go for anything that involves computers, smart phones, tablets, TVs, cameras, etc.

Turn to RGB if your design project involves: web & app design, icons, buttons, graphics, branding, online logos, online ads, social media, images for posts, profile pictures, profile backgrounds, visual content, video, digital graphics, info graphics, photographs for websites, social media, or apps.

CMYK Color Model

CMYK color model is a subtractive color model, based on the CMY color model, used in color printing. CMYK refers to the four inks used in printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).

The CMYK model is subtractive. It means that it subtracts or masks colors from white background of the paper. The ink reduces the reflected light. White light minus red leaves cyan, white light minus green leaves magenta, and white light minus blue leaves yellow.

White is the natural color of the paper, while black results from a full combination of colored inks. To save cost on ink, and to produce deeper black tones, unsaturated and dark colors are produced by using black ink instead of pure mix of cyan, magenta, and yellow.

When To Use CMYK?

Use CMYK for any project design that will be physically printed, not viewed on a screen. If you need to recreate your design with ink or paint, the CMYK color mode will give you more accurate results.

Turn to CMYK if your project involves: Branding, business cards, stationary, stickers, signs & storefronts, Advertising, billboards, posters, flyers, vehicle wraps, brochures, Merchandise, t-shirts, hats, and other branded clothing, promotional swag (pens, mugs, etc.), Essential materials, product packaging, restaurant menus.

Hex Color Model

A HEX color is expressed as a six-digit combination of numbers and letters defined by its mix of red, green and blue (RGB). Basically, a HEX color code is shorthand for its RGB values with a little conversion gymnastics in between. Designers and developers use HEX colors in web design.

HSV Color Model

HSV stands for Hue, Saturation and Value. This model is also sometimes called HSB, where the B stands for Brightness. But that is exactly the same model.

The HSV model simulates how different colors of paint mix together, where the color hue in a certain saturation can be adjusted in different degrees from no color to pure color and the Value-parameter thereby determines how much black or white paint is virtually mixed with it to make the color darker or lighter.

HWB Color Model

HWB is a cylindrical-coordinate representation of points in an RGB color model, similar to HSL and HSV. It was developed by HSV’s creator Alvy Ray Smith in 1996 to address some of the issues with HSV. HWB was designed to be more intuitive for humans to use and slightly faster to compute. The first coordinate, H (Hue), is the same as the Hue coordinate in HSL and HSV. W and B stand for Whiteness and Blackness respectively and range from 0–100% (or 0–1). The mental model is that the user can pick a main hue and then “mix” it with white and/or black to produce the desired color.

Most of our colour modes are based on how much of a certain colour is needed to be displayed for a certain device. For example RGB is how much Red, Green, and Blue needs to be displayed to show the correct colour on a digital screen and CMYK values are for how much colour is needed for a 4 colour print. The LAB colour model is based on how humans see colour; How much colour there is on the green to red axis combined with how much colour there is on the blue to yellow axis, combined with a lightness value from light to dark.

What is Color Space?

The color spectrum can be visualized using color models, but they fail to display colors properly on screens or specify them in the real world. Color space is a collection of colors that are able to be displayed or reproduced on a medium (whether stored, printed, or displayed). To be more clarifying, A color space is the method of mapping real colors to the color model's discrete values. The two terms are frequently used interchangeably because the separation is difficult to define. The concept of color spaces cannot really be discussed without having a specific color model in mind.

NCol Color Space

W3Schools is supporting an initiative called natural colors (NCol). The system is designed to make it easier to select HTML colors. Colors on NCol are specified by writing the color letter followed by a number to indicate the distance (in percent) from the color.

Pantone Color Space

Color space Pantone® is an arbitrary collection of colors that are not directly related to any color model. It is a very popular tool used by most conventional printers to reproduce colors and artwork by referring to a standardized guide that can be used by all printers

What is Color Profile?

A color profile is necessary to ensure that the same color is reproduced across multiple devices, and many professional printing services require that image files be set up according to a color space. As a result, the different colors in your image are not misinterpreted as belonging to a different color space. You have experienced this problem if you have ever pasted an image into an existing Photoshop project and the color scheme appears incorrect.