Color Theory Vocabulary Winter 2016

Saturation

(Chroma, Intensity) - how pure/diluted the color is (brightness)

Color wheel

A circle in which the primary, secondary, and intermediate hues (colors) are arranged in orderly intervals.

Dye

A color agent, gets absorbed into the surface, and is soluble.

Pigment

A color agent, will stay on the surface, absorbs light, and is durable.

Analogous colors

A color scheme that uses hues next to each other on the color wheel.

Secondary colors

A hue created by combining two primary colors. (orange, green, violet)

Tone

A hue mixed with grey

Hue

A particular shade of a given color

Cyan

A turquoise color (often called process blue) that is one of the four inks in a four-color process.

Adobe Color CC (Formerly known as Adobe Kuler)

A web page/Photoshop extension that allows you to create color schemes, browse other users color schemes, save them, and import them into Adobe programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

RGB

Abbreviation of primary colors for additive color (Computer monitors, TV, etc.)

CMYK

Abbreviation of primary colors for printing

Chroma

Another term for saturation or brightness of a color. It can define the purity of a hue and it color's strength. Adding values of gray to the hues.

Triadic

Any 3 colors equally distanced apart make an equilateral triangle

Tetrad

Any 4 colors equally distanced apart make a rectangle

Shade

Any hue that has been mixed with black

What color is created when all color is absorbed?

Black

Printer color

Can be the same as the four color process, but newer printers use seven colors instead of four.

Discord

Colors in conflict

Complimentary colors

Colors opposite on the color wheel

Cool colors

Colors suggesting coolness; blue, green, violet and their variants.

Warm colors

Colors suggesting warmth: reds, yellows, and oranges and their variants.

Munssell Wheel

Consists a twenty-step partitive color wheel out of the center corresponding to the five primary (yellow, red, green, blue and violet) and five secondary colors and ten tertiary colors.

Munsell Color Tree

Consists of ten vines that project out of the center corresponding to the five primary (yellow, red, green, blue and violet) and five secondary colors. The tree also has intervals of values, measuring the lightness and darkness of a hue. O is black and 10 is white.

Process Wheel

Contains a twelve-step subtractive color wheel which includes the three primary (yellow, magenta and cyan), secondary (orange, violet and green) and six tertiaries colors ( yellow-orange, red, red-violet-red, blue-violet-blue, green-blue-green and yellow green). Used for inks and computer cartridges.

What color scheme includes the colors: Green, Blue-violet, and Blue

Cool Colors

Tint

Created when white is added to a color.

Additive Colors

Creating color by creating light (light waves) (Computer monitors, TV, etc.)

Subtraction color

Creating color from paint - absorbs and reflect light waves

Monochromatic

Different tints and shades of one color (hue).

Black (What does it symbolize?)

Formality, Death, Evil

Color perspective

Illusion of space via color - with saturation, value, temperature

Aerial perspective

Includes color perspective, atmospheric perspective, detail, pattern

After image

Is the optical reaction that occurs after we stare intensely at a hue. The brain supplies the opposite or complementary hue.

Color Mixing

Knowledge of the way colors interact when we combine them and what new colors are created when we do.

Pink (What does it symbolize?)

Love, Affection, Femininity

Medium

Material you mix in with paint to give it consistency. (Make it thicker, glossy, etc.)

Vehicle

Material you mix with pigment and dyes to make paint. (Acrylic, Gouache, Oil, Wax, etc.)

Split Compliment

Once color plus two colors that are on either side of its compliment or on the color wheel

Tertiary colors

Primary color mixed with adjacent secondary color on the color wheel (yellow orange for example)

Red Yellow Blue

Primary colors for subtractive (paint)

Primary colors

Pure or fundamental colors (red,yellow, and blue) that cannot be created by combining other colors.

White (What does it symbolize?)

Purity

Chiaroscuro

Rendering with Dark on Light and vice-versa.

Purple (What does it symbolize?)

Royalty, magic/mystical, imagination, spirituality

Characteristics of Color

Saturation, Value, & Hue

Color interaction

Simultaneous Contrast

Color Picker

The Adobe Photoshop utility that allows you to click on a color to select it, view if it is web safe/print safe, and see the RGB, CMYK, and HEX values for the color.

Value

The darkness or lightness of a color.

Pantone Matching System

The industry standard used by graphic designers for selecting/matching colors. Abbreviated as "PMS"

Psychology of Color

The principle of color evoking understanding and emotion. Explains how color can be used to set the tone and mood.

four color process

The process that printers use

Color Space

The three-dimensional space; describes the set of all colors.

Light Wheel

This is a six step additive consisting of three primary colors (green, red and blue)

Pigment Wheel

This is a twelve step subtractive color wheel which include three primaries (yellow, red and blue) secondary (orange, violet and green, and six tertiaries ( yellow-organe, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, and yellow-green). The reaction of pigmented colors when they are mixed.

How will changing from RGB to CMYK affect an image?

This will dull/mute the colors in the image

Glaze

Transparent layer of paint

Blue (What does it symbolize?)

Trust, Honesty, Loyalty

When creating a design for a client, you should always....

Use colors that will communicate your clients spirit or personality.

Monochromatic

Varying in intensity and value of a single color

Tertiary color

What you get when you mix a secondary and primary color together.

Tones

What you get when you mix compliments. (Neutral)

What color is created when all color is reflected?

White

Neutral colors

White, black and gray (sometimes brown). Used to make tints and shades but do not affect hue.

Contrast

comparison of differences

Key color

dominant color in composition

Harmony

family of colors capable of being used as a basis of composition (organize colors)

Split compliment

instead of using the actual compliment, you use a color alongside to the actual compliment

Tonality

overall color feeling of picture