Laboratory 01
Additive Synthesis
of Light — RGB
Three beams of light mix together. Each channel adds luminance. Move the sliders to see how light creates color.
Light Beams
R 220
G 80
B 40
Color Presets
Red Green Blue Yellow Cyan Magenta White Black 50% Gray
RGB Beam Analysis
Additive Synthesis: R+G = Yellow · G+B = Cyan · R+B = Magenta · R+G+B = White. Each channel adds luminance. This is the basis of monitors, projectors, and digital displays.

🎯 Try This: Lower all sliders to 0. Slowly increase Blue. Notice how it builds light from total darkness.
Individual Channels
Laboratory 02
Subtractive Synthesis
CMY — Pigments
Pigments absorb part of the white light. Adjust the concentration of each pigment and observe what color reaches the eye.
Pigments (0–100%)
C 80%
M 10%
Y 10%
What each pigment absorbs
■ Cyan → absorbs Red (620–700nm Broadband)
■ Magenta → absorbs Green (500–590nm Broadband)
■ Yellow → absorbs Blue (400–480nm Broadband)
100% C 100% M 100% Y C+M C+Y M+Y C+M+Y Clear
Spectral Absorption
Additivity Failure: Due to the physical imperfections of real inks (scatter & unwanted absorption), 100% C+M+Y produces a muddy brown-gray, not a pure black.
(Note: Real ink physics requires complex Kubelka-Munk equations, simplified here via transmission heuristics).

🎯 Try This: Set C=100 and Y=100. Watch the spectral graph show only Green passing through.
CMY vs Ideal Black
CMY 100%
K 100%
Laboratory 03
CMYK — The 4
Printing Channels
Each channel is printed on a separate plate. Observe how the 4 halftone screens combine to reconstruct the final color.
CMYK Values
C 65%
M 20%
Y 0%
K 0%
Red Green Blue Key Black Warm Shadow 10% Gray Orange
The 4 Channels — Individual & Combined
Each channel = a separate printing plate. The K plate is typically printed first, acting as the registration key from which all other colour plates align. Without K, dark colours are reproduced purely in CMY — lacking density and wasting ink.

🎯 Try This: Select "Orange" from the presets. Notice how it is built only with M and Y dots, avoiding C and K entirely to maintain high saturation.
Laboratory 04
TAC & TIL —
Total Area Coverage
How much ink can a paper substrate accept? Experiment with different printing conditions and see when the limit is breached.
CMYK Values
C 80%
M 70%
Y 60%
K 40%
0%100%200%300%400%
—
Printed Result
Exceeding TAC / TIL → causes ink smearing, drying issues (set-off), and paper tearing. Proper ICC profiles automatically ensure compliance with the specific TAC limit of the press.

🎯 Try This: Move all 4 sliders to 100%. Watch the system warn you about severe mechanical failure.
Laboratory 05
Color Spaces
& Gamut Boundaries
Every device "sees" a different range of colors. Select color spaces and compare their gamuts on the CIE xy chromaticity diagram.
Active Spaces
Observation: The CMYK gamut (pink) is smaller than sRGB and significantly smaller than Adobe RGB. Colors outside the CMYK gamut will be "clipped" during printing.

Remember: This 2D projection ignores the L* (Lightness) axis of a true 3D gamut volume.
Gamut Pct vs Visible
CIE 1931 xy Chromaticity Diagram
Laboratory 06
Achromatic Reproduction
GCR & UCR
How much CMY is replaced by K? Adjust the GCR level and see how the CMYK composition changes while the visual color remains identical.
Input Color (RGB)
R 60
G 80
B 180
GCR Level
GCR 50%
None Light Medium Heavy Maximum
GCR Benefits
✓ Reduced ink costs
✓ Stable gray balance on press
✓ Lower TAC (Total Area Coverage)
✓ Better printability and drying
GCR vs UCR — Key Difference
GCR (Gray Component Replacement)
Replaces the gray component of any colour — chromatic or neutral — with K. Applies across the entire colour range.

UCR (Under Colour Removal)
Replaces CMY only in neutral / achromatic areas (shadows and near-neutral greys). Has no effect on saturated colours.

→ GCR is the modern standard (ISO 12647-2). UCR is an older, more limited technique.
CMYK Composition Comparison
Same color, different composition: By increasing GCR, the achromatic gray part of CMY is replaced by K. The final printed color remains theoretically unchanged, but the ink balance is highly optimized.
Laboratory 07
Tone Value Increase
TVI (Dot Gain)
A halftone dot always prints larger than intended. Select a paper surface and see how dot gain distorts the tonal range.
Paper Surface
Coated (FOGRA39) Uncoated Newsprint
Digital File Tone
% 50%
Reference TVI Values
Coated (ISO 12647-2):
 40% file → ~57% printed (+17%)

Uncoated:
 40% file → ~66% printed (+26%)

Newsprint:
 40% file → ~70% printed (+30%)
TVI Curve Plot
Dot Gain Compensation: Standard ICC profiles automatically calculate and compensate for this gain. In Photoshop/InDesign, selecting the correct output profile applies the inverse curve to the file during export.
Laboratory 08
Rendering Intents &
Gamut Mapping
How do we handle colors that "don't fit" in the CMYK gamut? Select a rendering intent and observe the gamut mapping strategy in real-time.
Input Color (RGB)
R 255
G 0
B 0
Vivid Red Vivid Cyan Vivid Green Orange Medium Blue Deep Shadow
Rendering Intent
Perceptual

Compresses the entire gamut. Best for photographs.

Relative Col.

Clips out-of-gamut. Preserves in-gamut exactness.

Absolute Col.

Soft proofing. Simulates paper white colorimetry — including substrate tint.

Saturation

Maximizes chroma. Best for charts & infographics.

Scales source shadows to match the destination's darkest black, preventing shadow clipping and loss of detail.

Conversion Result RGB → CMYK
🎯 Try This: Select "Deep Shadow" preset. Toggle BPC on and off using "Relative Col." intent. Notice how turning BPC off heavily clips the deep shadows, destroying contrast!
Laboratory 09
Soft Proofing —
Press Simulation
What will the final print look like? Select a color and a press profile to simulate the final output without wasting paper.
Screen Color (Adobe RGB approx.)
R 58
G 123
B 213
CIEDE2000 — Color Distance
Comparison: Screen vs Print