Federal Agencies
Digitization Guidelines Initiative

Home > Glossary > C > Color space

Term: Color space

Note:
 “Search Glossary” button searches only the glossary. Temporary note: search not enabled for two- and three-character terms; browse by alphabet.
 “Search“ button at the top right of the page searches the Web site, not the glossary.

Suggest a term

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Term: Color space

Definition:

A specific organization of colors that supports reproducible representations of color in combination with color profiling supported by various devices. A color space can be a helpful conceptual tool for describing or understanding the color capabilities of a particular device or digital file. Examples of color spaces include Adobe RGB 1998, sRGB, ECIRGBv2, and ProPhoto RGB.

The Commission Internationale de l'�clairage/CIE 1931 color chart visualizes all colors that can be seen by the human eye. Color spaces are often visualized as a shape that is overlayed on top of the CIE 1931 color chart, with the shape showing the boundary of which colors within CIE 1931 chart can be represented by the color space.

Color space conversion is the transformation of the representation of a color from one color space to another, typically when data is exchanged inside a color-managed chain. Issues when the wrong color space is used include washed out or oversaturated colors or the destination space, such as a monitor, can't reproduce specific details.

Category:
Image (still) and Moving Image (video and film)
Resource:
CIE 1931 color chart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIE_1931_color_space
FADGI\'s Significant Properties for Digital Video
https://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/guidelines/sigpropvideo.html
See also:
sRGB; ECIRGB_v2; ProPhoto RGB; Profile; Color Management Module (CMM); Rendering intent