Multispectral Image Generation from RGB Based on WSL Color Representation: Wavelength, Saturation, and Lightness

Abstract

Image processing techniques are based nearly exclusively on RGB (red–green–blue) representation, which is significantly influenced by technological issues. The RGB triplet represents a mixture of the wavelength, saturation, and lightness values of light. It leads to unexpected chromaticity artifacts in processing. Therefore, processing based on the wavelength, saturation, and lightness should be more resistant to the introduction of color artifacts. The proposed process of converting RGB values to corresponding wavelengths is not straightforward. In this contribution, a novel simple and accurate method for extracting the wavelength, saturation, and lightness of a color represented by an RGB triplet is described. The conversion relies on the known RGB values of the rainbow spectrum and accommodates variations in color saturation.