Even though RGB is present across most electronic devices, the color elements vary across systems and models. This color mode exists exclusively in digital formats to include computer monitors, mobile devices and television screens. The RGB color mode consists of Red, Green and Blue hues that combine to create extensive variations of colors. You can also use LAB to make the colors in your images look more vibrant and natural. If your organization wants you to design a branded t-shirt, coffee mug or banner, it would be a good idea to use LAB color as it will ensure that the colors look exactly the same.Ĭolor management systems use LAB as a color reference to predictably transform a color from one color space to another color space. LAB color is considered device-independent, which means that it’s easier for you to achieve exactly the same color across different types of media. The Lightness channel (L) ranges from 0 to 100 and the Green-Red Axis channel (A) and Blue-Yellow Axis channel (B) range from +127 to -128.īranded Products (e.g., t-shirts, coffee mugs, banners)

The color mode consists of one channel for Lightness (L) and two channels for Color (A and B). The LAB color mode, also known as CIELab (pronounced See-Lab), is based on the human perception of color.

So, an optimized Index color mode may be a better solution to help increase your website load time and improve your users’ experience. While the RGB color mode contains millions of colors and is typically a higher quality, it may produce a large file size that is not optimized for the web. You may be thinking, the quality is far superior in LAB and RGB, so shouldn't I always use this color mode? The short answer is no, as it really depends on the context of use for your users. © Daniel Skrok and Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0 Illustration comparing LAB (Infinite Colors), RGB (Millions of Colors), CMYK (4 Printed Colors), Index (256 Colors), Greyscale (256 Shades of Grays) and Bitmap (2 Colors). You’ll notice how the quality from left (LAB) to right (Bitmap) decreases as the amount of color decreases. The below illustration depicts the difference between LAB, RGB, CMYK, Index, Greyscale and Bitmap color modes. Let’s begin with a quality comparison between several common color modes. You’ll never have to fear these acronyms again. In this lesson, we’ll define common color modes and help you understand when to use them in your designs. If you use the correct color mode in your design, you will also help get your message and tone across. As a designer, it’s important to differentiate the color modes so you can optimize each stage of your design process.

Welcome back we missed you images