Color Management Glossary
A glossary of color management, imaging, print, and proofing terminology used throughout the documentation.
A
Additive Color Synthesis
A method of forming color by adding red, green, and blue light. It is the basis of display technologies such as monitors and projectors.
Aliasing
A visible stair-step artifact that appears on diagonals and curves when image resolution is insufficient.
ANSI
American National Standards Institute, a standards body referenced in many technical workflows.
B
Bit
The smallest unit of digital information, represented as either 0 or 1.
Bitmap
A raster image made of pixels arranged in a grid.
Black Body
A theoretical radiator that absorbs all incident energy and emits a predictable spectrum based only on temperature.
C
Calibration
The process of adjusting a device to a known target so that it behaves in a predictable and repeatable way.
CCD Sensor
A charge-coupled device used in scanners and cameras to convert incoming light into electrical signals.
CIE
The International Commission on Illumination, responsible for many foundational color and lighting standards.
CIELAB
A widely used device-independent color space where L* represents lightness and a*/b* describe chromatic axes.
CMYK
The subtractive print color model based on cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.
Colorimeter
An instrument that measures color by approximating the response of the human eye through filtered sensors.
D
D50
A standard daylight illuminant with a correlated color temperature near 5000 K, commonly used for print evaluation.
Density
A logarithmic measure of how much light a material absorbs or blocks.
Delta E
A numeric expression of the visible difference between two measured colors.
Device-Dependent Color Space
A color space whose values depend on a specific device, such as a monitor, scanner, or printer.
Device-Independent Color Space
A color space defined independently of any single device, used as a reference for color conversion.
DPI
Dots per inch, a unit used to describe output or sampling resolution.
G
Gamma
A tonal relationship between input and output values that influences midtone appearance on displays and other devices.
Gamut
The range of colors that a device or color space can reproduce or describe.
Gray Balance
A condition in which neutral tones reproduce without unwanted color casts.
I
ICC
The International Color Consortium, which defines profile standards for color-managed workflows.
ICC Profile
A data file that describes how a device represents color so it can be matched reliably to other devices.
Interpolation
A process that estimates additional pixels or values between measured ones to increase apparent resolution.
K
Kelvin
The absolute temperature scale used to describe color temperature.
L
LPI
Lines per inch, a measure of screen ruling in halftone printing.
Luminance
The measured intensity of emitted or reflected light from a surface or source.
LUT
A look-up table used to remap input values to output values inside software, displays, or video hardware.
M
Metamerism
A condition in which two samples match under one light source but differ under another.
Moire
An interference pattern caused by overlapping screen structures, often visible when scanning printed halftones.
O
Opacity
The degree to which a material blocks transmitted light.
Observer
The human visual system considered as one part of the color-perception triad: light source, object, and viewer.
P
Patch
A measured color sample used in charts, targets, and profiling workflows.
Posterization
A tone reproduction defect where smooth tonal transitions break into visible steps.
Profile Connection Space
A standardized intermediate color space used by ICC workflows to convert colors between devices.
Proofing
A method of previewing or validating how a job should appear before final production output.
R
RGB
A device-dependent additive color model based on red, green, and blue primaries.
Rendering Intent
A strategy used during color conversion to decide how out-of-gamut colors should be mapped.
Resolution
The sampling or output detail available in an image, device, or printed structure.
S
Saturation
The degree of chromatic intensity or purity of a color relative to a neutral gray of similar lightness.
Soft Proof
An on-screen simulation of how a file is expected to reproduce on a specific output device.
Spectrophotometer
An instrument that measures spectral reflectance or transmission across wavelengths.
Subtractive Color Synthesis
A method of forming color by removing portions of white light through cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colorants.
T
TIFF
A common image file format widely used in professional imaging and prepress workflows.
Tone Curve
A visual or mathematical description of how tonal input values are mapped to tonal output values.
Total Ink Limit
The maximum combined CMYK ink coverage allowed for a print condition.
W
White Point
The chromaticity of the reference white used by a display, illuminant, or color space.
Working Space
The RGB or CMYK color space selected for editing images inside an application.