Change the color mode of a document – Adobe Illustrator CS3 User Manual

Page 101

ILLUSTRATOR CS3

User Guide

You can work with color values using the CMYK color mode, which is based on the CMYK color model. In CMYK
mode, each of the CMYK process inks can use a value ranging from 0 to 100%. The lightest colors are assigned small
percentages of process ink colors; darker colors have higher percentage values. For example, a bright red might
contain 2% cyan, 93% magenta, 90% yellow, and 0% black. In CMYK objects, low ink percentages are closer to white,
and high ink percentages are closer to black.

Use CMYK when preparing a document to be printed using process inks.

Change the color mode of a document

❖

Choose File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color or RGB Color. Most raster effects in Illustrator can only be

applied while you are in RGB mode.

HSB

Based on the human perception of color, the HSB model describes three fundamental characteristics of color:

Hue

Color reflected from or transmitted through an object. It is measured as a location on the standard color wheel,

expressed as a degree between 0˚ and 360˚. In common use, hue is identified by the name of the color, such as red,
orange, or green.

Saturation

Strength or purity of the color (sometimes called chroma). Saturation represents the amount of gray in

proportion to the hue, measured as a percentage from 0% (gray) to 100% (fully saturated). On the standard color
wheel, saturation increases from the center to the edge.

Brightness

Relative lightness or darkness of the color, usually measured as a percentage from 0% (black) to 100%

(white).

HSB color model

H. Hue S. Saturation B. Brightness

100

360

100

S B