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#1 06-14-2004 02:17 PM
- giovanetti
- Member
- Registered: 06-14-2004
- Posts: 4
Luminance Value
It would be really nice if there was some information/tool that would assist in showing the luminance of a color. The CIE color model shows how certain colors are more vibrant/have more luminance than others. I'm trying to understand if the luminance value of a color has a direct relationship to the amount of space that color takes up on the color wheel. For example, I know green has the highest luminance value, and it also take up the greatest space on most colors wheels.
One last, if you pick a websafe base color, sometimes the colors that are harmonies to it are not always websafe. Why is that? It just seemed that the math would match up some how?
Thanks,
Justin
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#2 06-14-2004 02:44 PM
- Aaron
- Administrator
- Registered: 02-12-2004
- Posts: 423
Re: Luminance Value
Hi Justin,
Interesting post! I have done a little bit of work with the CIE color model before, but I've never explored the relationship between hue luminance and space on the color wheel. If you do look into that I'd love to know what you find.
As for your question about websafe colors (and matches), if you limited your palette of potential matching colors to only websafe colors you'd really be constraining the breadth of your potential harmonies and you'd likely end up with lots of inexact matches.
However, if you switch to the RGB color mode, you'll see that when selecting a websafe color as your base color, a number of the harmonious colors are in fact websafe. The reason why this isn't the case with the RYB wheel mode is that a number of calculations are required to develop the RYB space. You could always just convert any of the harmonious colors that you like to their nearest websafe match, though.
I hope that helps! 
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#3 07-12-2004 09:27 PM
- eruditus
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- Registered: 07-12-2004
- Posts: 9
Re: Luminance Value
[QUOTE=giovanetti]It would be really nice if there was some information/tool that would assist in showing the luminance of a color. The CIE color model shows how certain colors are more vibrant/have more luminance than others. I'm trying to understand if the luminance value of a color has a direct relationship to the amount of space that color takes up on the color wheel. For example, I know green has the highest luminance value, and it also take up the greatest space on most colors wheels.
Luminance (aka Lightness, Brightness) is the amount of black or white in a color (0 to 100%). Increasing lightness adds white to the hue. Decreasing lightness adds black to the hue.
Luminance is defined by a numerical value denoting the amount of a shade of grey in a color.
Numbers start at 0 which is black, going to 255 which is white.
You refer to the color green as an example, so. . .
Web Green is #008000 it is actually quite a dull color, it has a luminance of 38, low down on the dark scale. If the luminance was moved to a midpoint of 127 the rgb is then 15,255,15 and hex is #0FFF0F If we move the luminance to a point 75% up the scale at approx 191, you then have values of rgb 151,253,151 with hex of #97FD97.
A color does not take up any greater or lesser amount of the spectrum width than any other color does, it’s all in the visual perception.
Take any color, add some black, the luminancy drops, add some white, the luminancy climbs.
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#4 07-12-2004 09:42 PM
- eruditus
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- Registered: 07-12-2004
- Posts: 9
Re: Luminance Value
Just thought of a bit more useless information.
Granted when looking at a representation of the spectrum green does appear to cover a greater area, this is a "visual perception".
Where can we say 'at this point yellow ceases to be, it is now green, or when does green finish and become blue.
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