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Converting Colors

Negarity Color supports seamless conversion between all supported color spaces. You can convert any color to any other color space using the appropriate conversion method.

Basic Conversion Methods​

Each color space has a corresponding to*() method that converts the color to that space:

Converting to RGB​

use Negarity\Color\Color;

$hsl = Color::hsl(210, 50, 40);
$rgb = $hsl->toRGB();
echo $rgb; // "rgb(51, 77, 102)"

Converting to RGBA​

Convert any color to RGBA, optionally specifying the alpha value:

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$rgba = $rgb->toRGBA(); // Default alpha: 255 (fully opaque)
$rgba = $rgb->toRGBA(128); // Semi-transparent

Converting to HSL​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$hsl = $rgb->toHSL();
echo $hsl; // "hsl(15, 100, 60)"

Converting to HSLA​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$hsla = $rgb->toHSLA(); // Default alpha: 255
$hsla = $rgb->toHSLA(128); // Custom alpha

Converting to HSV​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$hsv = $rgb->toHSV();
echo $hsv; // "hsv(15, 80, 100)"

Converting to CMYK​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$cmyk = $rgb->toCMYK();
echo $cmyk; // "cmyk(0, 61, 80, 0)"

Converting to Lab​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$lab = $rgb->toLab();
echo $lab; // "lab(60, 45, 65)"

Converting to LCh​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$lch = $rgb->toLCh();
echo $lch; // "lch(60, 78, 55)"

Converting to XYZ​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$xyz = $rgb->toXYZ();
echo $xyz; // "xyz(24, 18, 3)"

Converting to YCbCr​

$rgb = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);
$ycbcr = $rgb->toYCbCr();
echo $ycbcr; // "ycbcr(142, 95, 180)"

Chain Conversions​

Since conversion methods return new Color instances, you can chain multiple conversions:

$color = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50)
    ->toHSL()
    ->toCMYK()
    ->toLab();

Converting Between Any Spaces​

You can convert between any two color spaces, even if they're not directly related:

// Convert HSL directly to CMYK
$hsl = Color::hsl(210, 50, 40);
$cmyk = $hsl->toCMYK();

// Convert Lab to HSV
$lab = Color::lab(50, 20, -30);
$hsv = $lab->toHSV();

The library automatically handles intermediate conversions (usually through RGB) to ensure accurate results.

Practical Examples​

Working with Web Colors​

Convert hex colors to different formats:

$webColor = Color::hex('#3498db');
$rgb = $webColor->toRGB();
$hsl = $webColor->toHSL();
$cmyk = $webColor->toCMYK(); // For print

Adjusting Colors in Different Spaces​

Sometimes it's easier to work in a specific color space:

// Create a color in RGB
$color = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);

// Convert to HSL to adjust lightness
$hsl = $color->toHSL();
$lighter = Color::hsl($hsl->getH(), $hsl->getS(), $hsl->getL() + 20);

// Convert back to RGB
$lighterRgb = $lighter->toRGB();

Convert between RGB (screen) and CMYK (print):

// Screen color
$screenColor = Color::rgb(255, 100, 50);

// Convert for print
$printColor = $screenColor->toCMYK();
echo $printColor; // "cmyk(0, 61, 80, 0)"

Important Notes​

  • Immutability: All conversion methods return new Color instances. The original color remains unchanged.
  • Accuracy: Conversions are mathematically accurate, but some color spaces have different gamuts, so some colors may not be perfectly representable in all spaces.
  • Default Values: When converting to color spaces with alpha channels (RGBA, HSLA), the default alpha is 255 (fully opaque) unless specified.

Next Steps​

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