RGB vs CMYK : Does It Make a Difference?
May 12th, 2011 by Jenn
RGB vs CMYK : Does It Make a Difference?
By Jennifer Walling
Both RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) modes are methods of producing colors by using combinations of primary colors. One is based upon radiant light, the other is based on pigments. These modes are used by monitors, printers and presses to read and reproduce the colors of input images. Knowing what each mode does can help solve questions about which mode to edit and save images in, depending on their end use.
What is important to remember is that radiant light reflects colors and is projected for us to see. In contrast, pigments absorb light. Creating a color by only allowing that color’s spectrum of light to be reflected back for us to see. This means that when primary light values of Red, Green and Blue are equally combined at full value, we see white. Yet, when primary pigment values of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are equally combined at full value, we see black.
Most image file formats can be saved in either mode, but you can only truly display RGB formats online, since monitors are designed to work with RGB mode. A CMYK image posted online is generally shown as a broken image link, a small image that displays when the image itself cannot be displayed. The image is perceived as corrupted or broken, because in CMYK mode each pixel holds different data than it does in RGB mode.
