Sunday 7 April 2013

Colour Theory, pt. 1

 

Define hue:


Hue is basically its colour position in the spectrum.


In other words, are colors by which enables an observer to classify it as ranging from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, as determined by the dominant wavelength of the light or in reference to the spectrum, excluding white, and shades of grey.

Hue can also mean a given color’s tendency towards any of the four base wavelengths of visible light red, yellow, blue and green.
For example, if yellow appears more dominant in an orange-colored ink, then that color orange would be said to have a yellow-ish hue.

 


 

Define value:


  • The relative darkness or lightness of a color.
  • Degree of lightness or darkness in a color.
  • The relation of light and shade, as in a drawing.
  • A gradual tone from light to dark, or of colour luminosity.

A color's value is its brightness.
So basically, brightness.


(l-r) : lowest value, highest value, medium value.


Value measures where a color falls on an achromatic scale from white to black.






Define saturation:



The degree of chroma or purity of a color.
Vividness of hue; degree of difference from a gray of the same lightness or brightness. Also called intensity.





 

 

Define secondary color:



A secondary color is a color made by mixing two primary colors in a given color space.

The primary colours Red, Yellow and Blue.

For example,
primary + primary = secondary


  • red + yellow = orange

  • yellow + blue = green

  • blue + red = purple




Define tertiary color:


A tertiary color is a color made by mixing either one primary color with one secondary color, or two secondary colors, in a given color space.


Various tertiary colours can be seen on this piece of fabric.

Examples of mixing primary + secondary  or  secondary + secondary colors (forming tertiary colors) are Yellow-green, red-violet, blue-green, etc..





Define complementary colors:


Colors directly opposite each other in the color wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange.


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Define analogous colors:


A color scheme consisting of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel or limited to adjacent hues on the color wheel, usually within the scope of a primary through one of its related secondaries such as blue, blue-green, and green.




Define tint:


A tint is the mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness.
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Define shade:


A shade is the mixture of a color with black, which reduces lightness.
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Define neutral:


Colors of very low saturation, approaching grays. The definition of neutral colors is colors that are very light and not overly bright. Neutral colors are white, beige, tan, brown, gray, taupe and black, and yet in many applications these hues often have undertones of color. Neutral colors result from the combination of two complementary colors.


Neutral tones are included in the color family called earth colors.