In addition to the RGB model, colors are very often defined digitally using the HSB model. The H stands for “hue”. The S stands for “saturation”. And the B stands for “brightness”. Hue is described as an angle between 0° and 360°, while saturation and brightness are specified as percentage values between 0% and 100%.
Hue
Hue can simply be described as “color”. In color theory, it refers to the property by which color perceptions are distinguished, for example, as red, yellow or green. This property allows us to distinguish the color yellow as yellow, blue as blue, and so on.
Saturation
The property of saturation describes the intensity or purity of a color. Unsaturated colors are achromatic colors (black, gray, white). Colors with low saturation are called pastel colors and appear more lifeless, muted and dull. Saturated colors are characterized by high spectral purity and high color intensity. In digital image editing, such as in web design, the saturation of colors is often increased to create a more vibrant image from colors that are otherwise rather muted and lacking in intensity. However, too much saturation during post-processing often leads to unnatural results.
Brightness
This property determines how light or dark a color appears to us. This effect is achieved by adding either white or black. A color with a high proportion of black appears darker, while a high proportion of white makes the color appear lighter.
You may also be interested in this article: RGB and CMYK. What is the difference?
Do you have any further questions about this topic? Or do you need help designing your website from a professional web agency in Munich? Then feel free to contact us!
