Tools / Color
Color Lab
HEX, RGB, swatches and production color checks.
Material Color
Color input
RGB—
Preview
Best contrast—
Document size
Print size—
Metric size—
Ratio—
CMYK vs RGB Color Models
| Property | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Additive (light) | Subtractive (ink) |
| Channels | Red, Green, Blue | Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key |
| White | 255, 255, 255 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 0% |
| Black | 0, 0, 0 | 0%, 0%, 0%, 100% |
| Gamut | Wider (screens) | Narrower (print) |
| Use | Web, UI, video, 3D renders | Offset print, packaging, signage |
| Bit depth | 8/16/32 per channel | 8 per channel typical |
| File formats | PNG, JPG, EXR, HDR | TIFF, PDF, AI, PSD |
Pantone & Spot Color Systems
| System | Type | Colors | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone Coated (C) | Spot ink | 2,390+ | Glossy/coated paper printing |
| Pantone Uncoated (U) | Spot ink | 2,390+ | Uncoated/matte paper |
| Pantone Metallic | Spot ink | 301 | Metallic finishes on coated stock |
| Pantone Neon | Spot ink | 18 | Fluorescent/neon print |
| Pantone Skin Tone | Reference | 110 | Cosmetics, fashion, photography |
| RAL Classic | Industrial | 215 | Architecture, industry, automotive |
| RAL Design | Industrial | 1,825 | Extended industrial palette |
| NCS (Natural Color) | Perceptual | 1,950 | Architecture, interior design |
| Munsell | Scientific | ~1,600 | Soil science, art, research |
3D Material Color Properties
| Property | Range | Description | PBR Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Color / Albedo | sRGB (0–255) | Surface diffuse color without lighting | BaseColor map |
| Metallic | 0.0–1.0 | 0 = dielectric, 1 = conductor | Metalness map |
| Roughness | 0.0–1.0 | 0 = mirror, 1 = fully diffuse | Roughness map |
| Specular / Reflectance | 0.0–1.0 | Fresnel reflectance at normal incidence | Specular map |
| Normal | tangent space | Surface detail without geometry | Normal map (OpenGL/DirectX) |
| Ambient Occlusion | 0.0–1.0 | Soft shadow in crevices | AO map |
| Emission | HDR (0–∞) | Self-illumination color and intensity | Emissive map |
| Opacity / Alpha | 0.0–1.0 | Transparency control | Opacity map |
| IOR (refraction) | 1.0–2.5+ | Glass=1.52, water=1.33, diamond=2.42 | — |
| Subsurface (SSS) | 0.0–1.0 | Light scattering through material | SSS map + radius |
Index of Refraction (IOR) Reference
| Material | IOR | Material | IOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum | 1.000 | Water | 1.333 |
| Air | 1.0003 | Ice | 1.309 |
| Glass (window) | 1.520 | Glass (flint) | 1.620 |
| Crystal | 1.544 | Diamond | 2.417 |
| Acrylic / Plexiglass | 1.490 | Polycarbonate | 1.586 |
| Amber | 1.550 | Ruby / Sapphire | 1.770 |
| Skin (human) | 1.400 | Eye (cornea) | 1.376 |
| Honey | 1.504 | Olive oil | 1.470 |
Color Spaces in 3D Rendering
| Color Space | Gamut | Use | Software |
|---|---|---|---|
| sRGB | Standard | Web, UI, diffuse/albedo textures | All engines (default) |
| Linear sRGB | Standard | Lighting calculations, shader math | All PBR engines internally |
| Rec. 709 | =sRGB gamut | HD video output, broadcast | DaVinci, Nuke, ACES |
| Rec. 2020 | Wide | HDR video, 4K/8K broadcast | DaVinci, Nuke |
| DCI-P3 | Wide | Digital cinema, Apple displays | Cinema cameras, macOS |
| ACES (ACEScg) | Scene-referred | VFX compositing, linear workflow | Maya, Houdini, Nuke, Blender |
| Display P3 | Wide | Apple devices, modern monitors | Safari, macOS apps |
| ACEScct | Log encoding | Color grading with ACES | DaVinci, Nuke |