Värikuva

Värikuva is a Finnish term literally translating to "color picture" and is used to refer to any image that records or displays color information. In everyday Finnish usage, it denotes color photographs, color graphics, and color digital images, as opposed to grayscale or monochrome imagery. The term can describe both analog color photographs and modern digital color imagery.

Historically, color imagery emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with experimental processes such as autochrome and other additive color methods, becoming widespread with color film and color printing in the mid-20th century. In the digital era, color images are captured with sensors that sample red, green, and blue light and are stored in formats such as JPEG, PNG, and TIFF. The concept of värikuva thus spans both chemical photography and digital imaging.

In digital workflows, color images rely on color models and color management. The most common display model is additive RGB, while printing typically uses subtractive CMYK. Color spaces such as sRGB, Adobe RGB, and ProPhoto RGB define the range of colors (gamut) that can be represented. Resolution and bit depth affect color fidelity and dynamic range. Metadata and color profiles help ensure consistent color reproduction across devices.

Today, värikuva is central in media, art, science, and communication, enabling faithful reproduction of scenes and data visualization. Preservation of color images requires careful handling of aging media and digital archiving, including calibration and color management.