Skip to main content

Color Spaces Reference

This is a complete reference for all color spaces supported by Negarity Color.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue)​

Channels: r, g, b
Range: 0-255 for each channel
Use Case: Screen display, web colors, digital images

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

RGB is the most common color space for digital displays. Each channel represents the intensity of red, green, or blue light.

RGBA (Red, Green, Blue, Alpha)​

Channels: r, g, b, a
Range: 0-255 for each channel
Use Case: Colors with transparency, web graphics

$color = Color::rgba(255, 100, 50, 128); // 50% opacity

RGBA extends RGB with an alpha channel for transparency. Alpha 0 is fully transparent, 255 is fully opaque.

HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness)​

Channels: h, s, l
Range: H: 0-360°, S: 0-100%, L: 0-100%
Use Case: Color manipulation, intuitive color adjustments

$color = Color::hsl(210, 50, 40);

HSL is intuitive for color manipulation:

  • Hue: The color itself (0°=red, 120°=green, 240°=blue)
  • Saturation: Color intensity (0%=gray, 100%=full color)
  • Lightness: Brightness (0%=black, 100%=white)

HSLA (Hue, Saturation, Lightness, Alpha)​

Channels: h, s, l, a
Range: H: 0-360°, S: 0-100%, L: 0-100%, A: 0-255
Use Case: HSL colors with transparency

$color = Color::hsla(210, 50, 40, 200);

HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value)​

Channels: h, s, v
Range: H: 0-360°, S: 0-100%, V: 0-100%
Use Case: Color pickers, graphics software

$color = Color::hsv(210, 50, 40);

Similar to HSL but uses Value instead of Lightness:

  • Value: Brightness of the color (0%=black, 100%=full brightness)

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black)​

Channels: c, m, y, k
Range: 0-100% for each channel
Use Case: Print media, professional printing

$color = Color::cmyk(0, 50, 100, 0);

CMYK is used for printing. Higher values mean more ink. The K (key/black) channel is used for richer blacks and cost efficiency.

Lab (CIELAB)​

Channels: l, a, b
Range: L: 0-100, a: -128 to 127, b: -128 to 127
Use Case: Perceptually uniform color, color matching

$color = Color::lab(50, 20, -30);

Lab is perceptually uniform, meaning equal changes in values produce equal perceived color differences. Useful for color matching and analysis.

LCh (Lightness, Chroma, Hue)​

Channels: l, c, h
Range: L: 0-100, C: 0-100, H: 0-360°
Use Case: Perceptual color manipulation, color harmony

$color = Color::lch(50, 30, 210);

LCh is a polar representation of Lab:

  • Lightness: Same as Lab
  • Chroma: Color intensity (distance from gray)
  • Hue: Color direction

XYZ (CIE XYZ)​

Channels: x, y, z
Range: Typically 0-100
Use Case: Color science, color space conversions

$color = Color::xyz(20, 30, 40);

XYZ is a device-independent color space used as an intermediate in many color conversions. Based on human color perception.

YCbCr​

Channels: y, cb, cr
Range: Y: 0-255, Cb: 0-255, Cr: 0-255
Use Case: Video encoding, digital photography, JPEG compression

$color = Color::ycbcr(128, 100, 150);

YCbCr separates luminance (Y) from chrominance (Cb, Cr):

  • Y: Luminance (brightness)
  • Cb: Blue-difference chroma
  • Cr: Red-difference chroma

Conversion Support​

All color spaces can be converted to and from each other. The library automatically handles intermediate conversions (usually through RGB or XYZ) to ensure accuracy.

Choosing a Color Space​

  • RGB/RGBA: For screen/web applications
  • HSL/HSV: For intuitive color manipulation
  • CMYK: For print media
  • Lab/LCh: For color matching and analysis
  • XYZ: For color science and conversions
  • YCbCr: For video and image compression

See Also​