<p>An RGB image can not be rendered if you only supply information for one color channel. This is because three channels are needed: Red, Green and Blue. Different software will deal with this invalid input in different ways: Some might set the remaining channels as black (i.e. filling with zero values). In that case the resulting image will be monocromatic. In shades of green in your example.</p>

<p>Other software might fill the missing channels with the same information supplied for the available one. In that case the result is a gray scale version of the band supplied.</p>

<p>In a general case, the rendered image will only display varying colors if two or more channels contain different information (i.e. different bands).</p>

<p>As mentioned in the comments, it is important to note that the difference between monocromatic and pancromatic. The former is a general term used to describe images formed by shades of a single color. While the latter is a specific term used in multispectral sensors to denote a band with a wider spectral response, and that usually have also higher spatial resolution.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-17T15:18:22.933Z
Hi, Camilo. Thank you for your answer. I want to know if I can get a panchromatic image by displaying the RGB color image (true color) as a grayscale image? Or can I  convert the RGB format to a HIS format and use the intensity component as the panchromatic image?
tunar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-08T01:27:47.440Z
@emberbillow You can do both. But the spectral response of what you get is different to the panchromatic, and usually the main advantage of the panchromatic band is its higher resolution, and you can't get that from the multispectral bands (that are the ones that include the R, G and B channels)
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-09T06:26:32.800Z
Thank you. I got it.
tunar
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-01T19:07:06.463Z
2018-11-01T19:07:06.463Z
Camilo Rada
<p>I have a 4 band image (Blue, Green, Red and Near Infrared). If I display my image with only the green band in the RGB channel, the image displayed is panchromatic.</p>

<p>Why is that?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-27T06:10:06.737Z
If you use only one channel, what do you expect?
Christoph
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-27T21:39:08.453Z
But would RGB not be assigned to each of the bands intensity? I say because in another case I am displaying Band 2 twice and Band 3, and the resultant image has color.
Chayan Lahiri
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-30T09:04:56.500Z
Do you really mean panchromatic, or do you mean monochromatic?  Also, what are you using to display the file?  I could imagine some software being able to simulate a panchromatic sensor from a multiband image.
Deditos
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-30T17:11:38.857Z
You are right, I meant monochromatic. Just to clarify I displayed band 3 in all three channels to get monochromatic image, however, when I displayed band 3 in two channels with band 2 in the third arcmap displayed color.
Chayan Lahiri
<remote-sensing><satellites>
Satellite image displaying as panchromatic
Chayan Lahiri
# Satellite image displaying as panchromatic

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-10-26)

I have a 4 band image (Blue, Green, Red and Near Infrared). If I display my image with only the green band in the RGB channel, the image displayed is panchromatic.

Why is that?

**Tags:** remote-sensing, satellites

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: If you use only one channel, what do you expect?  
> **username_0**: But would RGB not be assigned to each of the bands intensity? I say because in another case I am displaying Band 2 twice and Band 3, and the resultant image has color.  
> **username_2**: Do you really mean panchromatic, or do you mean monochromatic?  Also, what are you using to display the file?  I could imagine some software being able to simulate a panchromatic sensor from a multiband image.  
> **username_0**: You are right, I meant monochromatic. Just to clarify I displayed band 3 in all three channels to get monochromatic image, however, when I displayed band 3 in two channels with band 2 in the third arcmap displayed color.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-11-01. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

An RGB image can not be rendered if you only supply information for one color channel. This is because three channels are needed: Red, Green and Blue. Different software will deal with this invalid input in different ways: Some might set the remaining channels as black (i.e. filling with zero values). In that case the resulting image will be monocromatic. In shades of green in your example.

Other software might fill the missing channels with the same information supplied for the available one. In that case the result is a gray scale version of the band supplied.

In a general case, the rendered image will only display varying colors if two or more channels contain different information (i.e. different bands).

As mentioned in the comments, it is important to note that the difference between monocromatic and pancromatic. The former is a general term used to describe images formed by shades of a single color. While the latter is a specific term used in multispectral sensors to denote a band with a wider spectral response, and that usually have also higher spatial resolution.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Hi, username_3. Thank you for your answer. I want to know if I can get a panchromatic image by displaying the RGB color image (true color) as a grayscale image? Or can I  convert the RGB format to a HIS format and use the intensity component as the panchromatic image?  
> **username_3**: @emberbillow You can do both. But the spectral response of what you get is different to the panchromatic, and usually the main advantage of the panchromatic band is its higher resolution, and you can't get that from the multispectral bands (that are the ones that include the R, G and B channels)  
> **username_4**: Thank you. I got it.  

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