HSB colour model Archives | lightcolourvision.org

HSB colour model

The main difference between the HSB colour model and the RGB colour model is how colours are represented and managed in software and applications.
The HSB model represents colours based on hue, saturation, and brightness, whereas the RGB model mixes red, green, and blue light to create colours.
HSB is popular because it provides a user-friendly way to select and modify colours when using applications like Adobe Creative Cloud for design, photography, or web development.
On HSB colour wheels, saturation typically increases from the centre towards the edge.

Hue refers to the perceived difference between colours and is usually described using names such as red, yellow, green, or blue.
- Hue can be measured as a location on an HSB colour wheel and expressed as a degree between 0 and 360.
Saturation refers to the vividness of a colour compared to an unsaturated colour.
- Saturation is measured between a fully saturated colour (100%) and an unsaturated colour (0%)that appear either:
  - Dull and washed out until all colour disappears, leaving only a monochromatic grey tone (0%).
  - Misty or milky the nearer they are to white.
- On many HSB colour wheels, saturation decreases from the edge to the centre.
Brightness refers to the perceived difference in the appearance of colours under ideal sunlit conditions compared to poor lighting conditions where a hue’s vitality is lost.
- Brightness can be measured as a percentage from 100% to 0%.
- As the brightness of a fully saturated hue decreases, it appears progressively darker and achromatic.

The RGB and HSB colour models differ only in the way colours are represented in terms of colour notation and handled in software and applications.
Both the HSB and RGB colour models involve mixing red, green, and blue light to produce other colours.
HSB is popular because it offers an intuitive method for selecting and adjusting colours within applications like Adobe Creative Cloud, which is commonly used in design, photography, and web development.
The HSB colour model can be used to describe any colour on a TV, computer or phone screen.

Hue refers to the perceived difference between one colour and another and accounts for colour names such as red, yellow, green or blue.
- Hue can be measured as a location on a colour wheel and expressed in degrees between 0⁰ and 259⁰.
Saturation refers to the perceived difference between one colour and another in terms of purity.
- Saturation is measured between a fully saturated colour (100%) and an unsaturated colour that appears dull and washed out, eventually reaching a monochromatic grey tone (0%).
- A fully saturated colour is produced by a single wavelength or a narrow band of wavelengths of light.
- On HSB colour wheels, saturation is typically shown to increase from the centre to the circumference.
Brightness (colour brightness) refers to the difference between a hue that appears bold and vivid at maximum brightness (100%) and then appears progressively darker in tone until it appears black at minimum brightness(0%).
Colour brightness is often evident in the distinction between how a colour appears to an observer under well-lit conditions compared to its more subdued appearance when in shadow or under poor illumination.

The RGB and HSB colour models differ in the way colours are represented and handled in software and apps.
Both the HSB and RGB colour models involve mixing red, green, and blue light to create various colours.
HSB is popular due to its intuitive colour selection and adjustment in applications like Adobe Creative Cloud for design, photography, or web development.
The S in HSB refers to saturation.

Hue refers to the perceived difference between one colour and another and accounts for colour names such as red, yellow, green or blue.
- Hue can be measured as a location on a colour wheel and expressed in degrees between 0⁰ and 259⁰.
Saturation refers to the perceived difference between one colour and another in terms of purity.
- Saturation is measured between a fully saturated colour (100%) and an unsaturated colour (0%).
- Saturation determines the vividness and richness of colours. Highly saturated colours appear vibrant, while desaturated colours appear muted or pastel-like.
- A fully saturated colour is produced by a single wavelength or a narrow band of wavelengths of light.
- On HSB colour wheels, saturation is usually shown to increase from the centre to the circumference.
Brightness (colour brightness) refers to the difference between a hue that appears bold and vivid at maximum brightness (100%) and then appears progressively darker in tone until it appears black at minimum brightness(0%).
Colour brightness is often apparent in the difference between the way a colour appears to an observer in well-lit conditions compared with its subdued appearance when in shadow or when poorly illuminated.

At lightcolourvision.org we use hue in relation to the colour models it belongs to.
Colour models describe the attributes of colour in different ways.
One of our favourites is the HSB colour model.
The HSB colour model refers to hue alongside saturation and brightness.
The HSB colour model is extensively used for digital design and can be used to describe any colour on a TV, computer or mobile phone.
The CMYK colour model which is a subtractive colour model uses a different set of attributes because one of its main concerns is how coloured inks appear on paper.
Cyan, magenta, yellow and black (K) can print almost any colour without referencing hue, saturation ord brightness.
Because hue isn’t part of that vocabulary then in that context the term is best avoided.