Datasheet

Core Concepts  17
256 possible levels. With three channels, you have 256 × 256 × 256 (16.7 million) pos-
sible combinations of each primary color mixed to form the final color.
Color value can also be set on the hue, saturation, and value (HSV) channels. Again,
each channel holds a value from 0 to 255 (in an 8-bit image file); these values combine to
define the final color. The hue value defines the actual tint (from red to green to violet) of
the color. The saturation defines how much of that tint is present in the color. The higher
the saturation value, the deeper the color will be. Finally, value defines the brightness
of the color, from black to white. The higher the value, the brighter the color will be.
HSV and RGB give you different methods to control color, allowing you to use the
method you prefer. All the colors available in Maya, from textures to lights, are defined as
either RGB or HSV values for the best flexibility. You can switch from HSV to RGB defi-
nition in Maya at any time.
CMYK COLOR
A CMYK color wheel is used for print work, and this is referred to as the four-color process.
Color inkjet printers produce color printouts by mixing the appropriate levels of these
inks onto the paper.
All output from a computer, which is RGB based, to a printer goes through a CMYK
conversion as it’s printed. For professional print work, specially calibrated monitors
are used to enhance previewing the CMYK color of an RGB image before it’s printed.
Fortunately, only print professionals need to worry about this conversion process, because
most of it is handled by graphics software to a fairly accurate degree.
VIEWING COLOR
The broadcast standard for North America is NTSC (National Television System
Committee). One joke in the industry is that the acronym means Never The Same Color,
referring to the fact that the color you see on one TV screen will be different from what
you see on another screen. The same holds true for computer monitors, especially flat-
panel displays. All displays are calibrated differently, and what you see on one screen may
not be exactly what you see on another screen.
If it’s important to have consistent color on different screens, say on your home and
school computers, you can use traditional color bars downloaded from the Internet or
your own custom-made color chart to adjust the settings of the monitors you work with
so they match more closely. If color is absolutely critical when you’re working in a group,
it’s important for everyone to view color output on a single screen.
Resolution, Aspect Ratio, and Frame Rate
Resolution denotes the size of an image by the number of horizontal and vertical pixels,
usually expressed as #×# (for example, 640×480). The higher the resolution, the finer the
image detail will be.
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