The color wheel, described above, is a two-dimensional view of the HSL model. The HSL model
is based on Hue, Saturation and Lightness as components for specifying color. The third
dimension in this case is lightness, which describes the tendency towards black or white.
The RGB Model
Most applications support the RGB model which (along with CMYK) is perhaps the simplest to
use. This model is used to specify colors by varying the proportions and levels of the red, green
and blue components.
The amount of red, green and blue in a color is usually expressed as a number from 0 to 255.
Less commonly it may expressed as a number between 0 and 65535 or as a percentage.
Converting between systems is straightforward.
Example
To achieve a color that is described as 100% red, 50% green and 40% blue:
255 Color Scale
100/100 x 255 = 255 red
50/100 x 255 = 128 green
40/100 x 255 = 102 blue
65535 Color Scale
100/100 x 65535 = 65535 red
50/100 x 65535 = 32768 green
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