Main Index
    Lobsang Studio
    mya Colour
        – Inside mya
        – the Human Equation
        – Colour Conversion
        – Human Perception
        – Our Eyes and Mind
        – Retina Resolution
    Pantone Interactive
    ColorPhazer Tool
    PixelPhazer Tool
    Natures Collection
    Hubble Imagery
    Abstract Art

The Human Equation
Many colour separation programs are based on colour recipes (either predefined or user defined). The more basic systems may adequately separate a small palette of colours, but otherwise quickly run into problems when those colours start to mix. The more sophisticated recipe-based systems run into problems farther down the road since many colours between recipe A and recipe B don’t turn out well due to the recipes not crossing over well (no intelligence in the mixing process).

Another category of separation programs rely on mathematical equations to convert from RGB to CMYK. Since there are many colours in each of these colour systems that have no equivalent in the other colour system, many mathematical issues exist. Programs using this technique often convert the RGB colours first into CIELAB (a colour model that encompasses both RGB and CMYK ranges), and then into CMYK values. This initially sounds good, but there are many inherent problems with the CIELAB colour model. It was originally designed to be very similarly spaced and laid out to resemble human perception, so that any two points of colour that were X distance apart will have the same perceptual difference as any other two points the same distance apart. That part seems to work but a notable hue error is apparent throughout nearly the entire spectrum. A light blue should fade to a dark blue in a straight line, but it doesn’t. More accurately, a more cyanish-blue fades to a more purple-blue in a straight line (and dozens of other dramatic colour shifts in this colour model). This is quite apparent to Photoshop™ users who use the mode change to cmyk feature.... their nice deep blues turn an obvious purple, clean yellows go greenish, reds go too warm, light greens go yellow, teals go green, the list goes on.

Yet even other programs use highly complex mathematical equations to get from RGB to CMYK (without using CIELAB) and offer a multitude of options and slider controls so that the user can choose exactly how to control any patch of colour on any image. This method works reasonably well as long as you have a seasoned colour expert behind the controls and the time to make the adjustments for each image. Mathematical issues are still present but can be minimized given enough time and user expertise.

mya solves these problems with a concept we call The Human Equation. Instead of using any of the standard colour equations/recipes, or switching in and out of various colour models (introducing even more error), we decided to develop a whole new method, based entirely on human perception. After all, most folks don’t care if an image is mathematically perfect if it still appears the wrong colour and lost its detail; they just want their images to print in cmyk like they see them on their rgb monitors. mya has a keen understanding of human perception, how we view colour, and differences between colours (detail). It got this understanding from the knowledge base of colour experts and some clever programming. Now, mya can examine any image and colour separate it into a visual masterpiece of data ready for most high-quality printing processes.

N E X T : Converting Colours

A brief example of the many differences between the way computers (and most math equations) see colour and the way humans see colour. Ignoring all traditional math and computer perception, mya focuses completely on the way humans perceive colour and detail.