Colorencoding

Colorencoding refers to the representation of color information as numerical data in digital and analog systems. It combines a color model, a color space, and a transfer function to map perceptual color to numeric values and back again. Encoding decisions affect how colors are reproduced on different devices and media.

Common color models include RGB (additive), CMYK (subtractive), and perceptually uniform spaces such as CIE L*a*b* and CIE L*u*v*. In digital images, RGB is typical with devices defined by color spaces such as sRGB, Adobe RGB, Rec. 709, or Rec. 2020. Device-independent color spaces aim to separate encoding from perception via ICC profiles.

In digital video and formats, color encoding often uses Y'CbCr or YUV representations, separating luminance from chrominance to improve compression. Chroma subsampling reduces color information to save bandwidth. Bit depth per channel (8, 10, 12 bits) and nonlinear encoding (gamma, sRGB transfer function) influence dynamic range and perceptual accuracy.

Colorencoding is central to color management, ensuring consistency from capture through processing to display or print. It underpins color profiling, calibration, and gamut mapping, and interacts with file formats and display technologies to balance fidelity, bandwidth, and compatibility.