Question

When using the HSL color model, you have a black square with the H, S, and L values set to 0 and the alpha value set to 255. If you set the L value to 128, what color would the square be?

A). gray
B). cyan
C). pink
D). white

Answer 1

In the HSL color model, when a black square with L value set to 0 is changed to an L value of 128, the square becomes a neutral gray because it reflects a 50% lightness level with no color saturation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When using the HSL color model, if you have a black square with H (hue), S (saturation), and L (lightness) values set to 0 and the alpha value set to 255, the square is black because all light is absorbed, resulting in no color perception. If you set the L value to 128, which represents a midpoint in lightness in a range from 0 to 255, the color of the square would change to a neutral gray. This is because an L value set to 128 means that the lightness is at a 50% level, hence no specific hue is dominant, and with S (saturation) remaining at 0, there is no intensity of color. Thus, the correct answer is A). gray. The HSL model allows manipulation of color properties more intuitively for human understanding, separating the chromatic components from the lightness level.