HSBs

HSBs, short for Hue-Saturation-Brightness, is a color model used in digital imaging and color selection. In this model, a color is described by three components: hue, saturation, and brightness. HSB is commonly used interchangeably with HSV (Hue-Saturation-Value); while some sources differentiate brightness from value, the practical concept remains the same for most software implementations. The hue represents the color type and is usually displayed as an angle on a color wheel (0 to 360 degrees). Saturation indicates how vivid or gray the color is, ranging from 0% (completely unsaturated gray) to 100% (fully saturated). Brightness (or value) describes how light or dark the color appears, from 0% (black) to 100% (fully bright).

One advantage of the HSB model is its intuitive interaction for color picking: adjusting hue shifts among color families, while tweaking saturation and brightness refines vividness and lightness without changing the underlying hue. The model is widely used in graphics software, image editors, and color pickers, including many painting and photo applications, as well as some camera interfaces.

It is important to note that brightness/value in HSB is not the same as perceptual lightness used in other models such as HSL, and conversions between RGB and HSB involve nonlinear calculations. Typical numeric ranges are: hue 0–360 degrees, saturation 0–100% (or 0–1), and brightness/value 0–100% (or 0–1). In web development, CSS primarily uses HSL rather than HSB, while HSV/HSB may be provided by libraries or graphics tools. See also HSV color model, HSL, and color spaces.