# Color Theory



## Funk Sean (Sep 30, 2010)

I just read this great article about color theory and how we perceive colors. Because I'm new here I can't post a link to it... but if you google search "a smart bear color wheel", it's the 1st hit that comes up.
I'm curious if anyone else has read this article and what others might think. It talks about how the standard color wheel is wrong and how having 4 primary colors is more accurate (Yellow, red, blue, and green). Very interesting read for those who are interested in color theory. Maybe Sharp is onto something with their Quattron technology...


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## Cory Phoenix (Nov 7, 2010)

I don't post very often in these forums, quite frankly, because I'm constantly learning far more from reading everyone else's posts than I could possibly add to the conversations. I post blu-ray reviews, I read, I learn. For the most part, that's what I do here at htshack...

However, I've been arguing with people over color theory for years. Even though I'll still say I'm far from an expert, I do deal with color every day. Besides craft beer, MMA and zombie movies, I'd have to say that color theory (at least from a printing standpoint) is somewhat in my wheelhouse.

So, I guess I'll just start the conversation here with a couple of simple points, as this thread has the capability of getting messy. First off, the author is hitting on some key points, but the fact that he's aiming for a universal color wheel is, in my opinion an impossibility. To oversimplify, there are two things: the production of color and the perception of color. Both are giant trees with hundreds of different branches. But, they are an apples to oranges comparison and cannot accurately be compared nor combined. 

We can delve much deeper into these two aspects of color theory, but again, I'm just trying to simplify things to start. The production of printed color is a completely different animal from the production of color for a display. And in turn, the way "person A" perceives this produced color may be VERY different than the way "person B" perceives it, believe me. (the varying levels that humans can perceive red, resulting in varying levels of color deficiencies/color blindness is something I have to deal with daily, and can result in another conversation completely)

Bottom line (and again, this is all my opinion), there is no "universal color wheel." There's theory behind producing printed color, there's theory behind producing color for displays; and even though technology changes daily, the two will always remain different, and further different from how persons A, B, C, Z, etc. perceive color. 

Let the battle....BEGIN! :hide:


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

The author is true to his word when he says he is grossly over simplifying color science, but he is also dead wrong on several points.

I suggest reading Poynton for a good grounding in color science. 

As for the Sharp system, it has been discussed extensively and measured in its actual effect and the conclusion of most professionals who understand color science is that it is not doing what they claim, and is a pointless technology for improving color reproduction. Wide gamut displays have been able to produce more colors than the sharp system for some time, and many reproduce more accurately.


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## Funk Sean (Sep 30, 2010)

Thank you for suggesting Charles Poynton. He has some great articles on his site and makes a lot of great points. As far as wide gamut displays are concerned, I thought wide gamut displays were used for computers. Am I wrong here? Are HDTV manufacturers making wide gamut displays? If so, who? I've read a lot of negative reviews about these displays because most computer systems manage color using sRGB and when a wide gamut display is connected, the colors become over exaggerated. My understanding with these is that if you have a wide gamut display, the device it's connected to needs to support it. I understand that they have the potential to display color more accurately, but who is supporting this?


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

You are correct. Some units do have wider gamuts, and may be inappropriate in that mode for video. The same arguments that make sRGB wrong for video make the sharp system wrong, if it did what they say. It only partially does.

You have the right idea. You need the CORRECT gamut for the system that you are trying to reproduce, and you need to be able to adjust a display to get the right colorimetry and saturation. Some sets can be so adjusted, many come close.

The advantage of a wide gamut display is that you are assured of at least being able to get enough saturation if the set can be calibrated properly, and that is a big if. Sometimes it is better to have a set that can't quite get full saturation on one color or another but gets very close than to have a set that is over saturated and can't get as close overall.


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