孟塞尔颜色系统

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孟塞尔颜色系统（Munsell Color System）是色度（或比色法）里透过明度（value）、色相（hue）及彩度（chroma）三个维度来描述颜色的方法。这个颜色描述系统是由美国艺术家阿尔伯特·孟塞尔（Albert H. Munsell，1858－1918）在1898年创制的，在1930年代为USDA采纳为泥土研究的官方颜色描述系统。至今仍是比较色法的标准。

早期的几个色彩体系将颜色放在各种不同的三维色立体，但孟塞尔是第一个把色调、明度和彩度分离成为感知均匀和独立的尺度，并且是第一个系统地在三维空间中表达颜色的关系。孟塞尔的系统，尤其是其后的再标记法，是基于严格的人类受试者测量的视觉反应，使之具有坚实的实验科学依据。基于人类的视觉感知，孟塞尔的系统熬过了其他现代色彩模式的挑战，尽管在某些领域其地位已被某些特殊用途的模型取代了，如CIELAB（L*a*b*）和CIECAM02。孟塞尔的系统目前仍然是最广泛使用的系统。

中华人民共和国推荐性国家标准 GB/T 15608-2006《中国颜色体系》中定义了一种孟塞尔颜色系统的规范形式。

## 解说

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孟塞尔颜色系统的空间大致成一个圆柱形：

### 色相

- 经度=色相（hue）。把一周均分成五5种主色互相调和成五种中间色，相邻的两个位置之间再均分10份，共100份。

红（R）、红黄（YR）、黄（Y）、黄绿（GY）、绿（G）、绿蓝（BG）、蓝（B）、蓝紫（PB）、紫（P）、紫红（RP）

### 明度

- 南北上下轴=明度（value）的深浅，从全黑（N0）至全灰（N5）到全白（N10）。

### 彩度

距轴的距离=彩度（chroma），表示颜色的纯度。其数值从中间（0）向外随着颜色的纯度增加，没有理论上的上限（普通的颜色实际上限为10左右，反光、荧光等材料可高达30）。由于人眼对各种颜色的敏感度不同，彩度不一定与每个颜色和明度组合相匹配。

具体颜色的标识形式为：色相 明度/彩度。例如5B 5/10是中等明度（5），高彩度（10）的正蓝色（5B）。

Note that the Munsell Book of Color contains more color samples than this chart for both 5PB and 5Y (particularly bright yellows, up to 5Y 8.5/14), however they are not reproducible in the sRGB color space, which has a limited color gamut designed to match that of televisions and computer displays. Note also that there are no samples for values 0 (pure black) and 10 (pure white), which are theoretical limits not reachable in pigment, and no printed samples of value 1.

## 参考书目

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- One of the first books about the Munsell color system, explaining the intuition behind its three dimensions, and suggesting possible uses of the system in picking color combinations. An edited version can be found at http://www.applepainter.com/.
- A description of color systems leading up to Munsell’s, and a biographical explanation of Munsell’s changing ideas about color and development of his color solid, leading up to the publication of A Color Notation in 1905.
- An introductory explanation of the development and influence of the Munsell system.
- A concise introduction to the Munsell color system, on a web page which also discusses several other color systems, putting the Munsell system in its historical context.
- Munsell’s original description of his system. A Color Notation was published before he had established the irregular shape of a perceptual color solid, so it describes colors positioned in a sphere.
- Munsell’s description of his color system, from a lecture to the American Psychological Association.

## 外部链接

- Munsell.com, the homepage of Munsell Color, a subdivision of X-Rite, current owners of the Munsell Color Company.
- Munsell page at the X-Rite website.
- Munsell to L*a*b* Conversion Freeware, a Windows application for converting Munsell renotations to CIELAB coordinates.
- Munsell Color Science Laboratory at the Rochester Institute of Technology, an academic laboratory dedicated to color science, endowed by the Munsell Foundation.
- Munsell renotation data in plain text format (from the 1940s Optical Society of America renotations).
- ApplePainter.com, a site explaining the Munsell color chart, including an edited version of Cleland’s book, A practical description of the Munsell color system.
- An explanation of the Munsell system at Adobe.com. Retrieved 13 August 2003
- A brief explanation at the site of the Japanese company Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals, including a nice diagram of the Munsell color solid.
- A flash-based Munsell Palette color-picker from web-design firm Triplecode (based on a version originally created at the MIT Media Lab).
- ToyPalette from Loo & Cox, a web application for generating color palettes from images. Munsell color analysis of digital image.