Colour Models

A colour model is an abstract mathematical model describing the way colours can be represented as tuples of numbers (triples in RGB, quadruples in CMYK).

A colour model without a mapping function to a Colour Space is a more or less arbitrary colour system with no globally understood system of colour interpretation. Adding a mapping function between a colour model and a reference colour space establishes a definite footprint within the reference colour space, known as Gamut.

Examples:

• CIE 1931 RGB
• HSL

Generally, CIE 1931 Colour Spaces are used as reference models for specifying colour models.