Color Concept Terms

Tone (defining mixed colors)

(Pure hue + complement or black + white) Cab be thought of as a shade to which white has been added. Less intense than a pure hue, but can be lighter or darker in value than a pure hue, depending on on the quantity of white added. Basically hue + gray.

Low Contrast

A value pattern having a limited range of values. Can be any key.

Full Value

Displays a full range os values from light to dark with all mid values in between.

Shade (defining mixed colors)

(Pure hue + complement or black) This is made by adding the complement or black to a pure hue. Always less intense and darker in value than a pure hue.

Tint (defining mixed colors)

(Pure hue + white) A pure hue to which white has been added to lighten its value. The addition of white will also cause the intensity to be somewhat lower than that of the pure hue.

Pure Hue (defining mixed colors)

A color at its highest intensity, free of its complement, black or white. Made from one or two primary hues, but never all three.

Complementary Palette

A palette limited to a set of complementary hues. Variations: warm vs. cool split complement: one hue + hues located on either side of its complement. Example: B + RO and YO double split complementary: hues on either sode of a set of complements. Example: BG and BV + RO and YO (complements B and O)

Triadic Palette

A palette limited to three basic hues that are chosen by placing an equilateral triangle on the color wheel. Examples: R,B,Y or G,O,V. Palettes composed exclusively of the primary colors or the secondary colors are triadic.

Analogous Palette

A palette that has a hue range limited to a few analogous colors. Warm palettes and cool palettes usually fall into this category.

Monochromatic Palette

A palette that is limited to one hue with variations in value and intensity. For example, shades, tones and tints of blue.

Analogous Hues

A set of hues near to each other on the color wheel. Never includes two complements.

Saturation

A term that falls under the umbrella of intensity. Considers how pure a hue is, its clarity and freedom from white, black, complements, fillers, and other factors that can reduce the intensity of the color. Anytime you mix you do this.

Temperature

A term that falls under the umbrella of intensity. It refers to how warm or cool a particular color is.

Simultaneous contrast

A term which refers to the ways colors interact with each other to change the way they are perceived by the eye. Because of the way our eyes perceive color, colors exist simultaneously in their originally created state AND in the state in which they are influenced by other colors. All color is relative: the way it is perceived is relative to adjacent colors.

High Contrast

A value pattern whose range is limited to very light and very dark values only.

Neutral/Achromatic

Absence of hue. Grays, black or white.

Apparent Color

Any color that is perceived in a changed state, these changes are the result of a phenomenon called simultaneous contrast.

Cool Hues

Blue and the hues analogous to it on the color wheel.

Wihelm Ostwald

Chemist/physicist who developed a system of matching colors by adding percentages of grey to modify hue mixtures.

Albert Munsell

Chroma, hue and Value. Complex color notation system based on color "tree" or sphere. Neutral values gradate from black to white through a trunk or core. AT each level, there is a systemized gradation from neutral to the highest intensity for the hue at that value. Primaries for this system are R Y G B & P. Notation system is used to define artists paint colors.

Color

Defined by three properties: hue, intensity, and value. An accurate description would include how light or dark (value) and how bright or dull (intensity) and hue name.

RBY primary system

Generally used for fine art applications. Based on color theories of Josef Albers and Johannes Itten. Primaries are red, blue and yellow.

Tertiary Hues

Hues that are made by mixing a secondary hue with one of its primary hues. Examples: red-orange, yellow-green, blue green, etc.

Simultaneous contrast- Hue

In most cases, hue changes are going to occur when one hue is surrounded by another. When a hue "changes," it appears to become a different hue on the color wheel. It, in effect "moves" from one position on the wheel to another. It will always move around the color wheel in the opposite directionof the hue surrounding it. For example, blue-violet surrounded by blue will appear to be violet. Complementary hues will not force hue changes upon each other. The closer on the wheel the surrounding hue is to the complement of the surrounded hue, the less perceiveable the change will be. Sometimes the most change is forced by the nearest primary hues or even a hue on the farther side of the primary hue. Warm hues can be forced to look warmer when surrounded by cooler hues. Cool hues can be forced to look cooler when surrounded by warm hues.

Low Key

Limited to dark values.

High Key

Limited to light values.

Middle Key

Limited to mid range values; no extended range of value.

Intermediate Hues

Not shown on our color wheel, but they would occupy the areas between the hues shown. RRO ORO OYO YGY GYG GBG, etc.

Warm Hues

Orange and the hues analogous to it on the color wheel.

Secondary Hues

Orange, violet, and green.

Low tinting strength

Pigment is very weak and much more pigment is required to affect another pigment. Cadmium pigments.

Primary Hues

Red, blue, and yellow. Theoretically all other hues are made of these three hues.

Hue

Refers to a color's placement on the color wheel, generally indicated by name.

Intensity

Refers to how bright or dull a color is. A pure hue is as saturated as that hue can be and thus appears at its brightest. A pure hue is determined by how free it is of its complement, black or white. A pure hue will be made of only one or two primary hues and will never include all three. Hues appear to be polluted, grayed, or duller if their complements, black or white are added to them.

Value

Refers to how light or dark a color is, especially in relation to a grey scale.

Local color

The color an object appears to be when not influenced by another color.

Value pattern

The distribution and relationship of the dark and light areas in anything visual. One of the most important processes in creating visual imagery.

Simultaneous contrast- Intensity

The intensity of a color is affected by two factors: the intensity of the color surrounding it and the positions on the wheel of the color and its surrounding colors. 1. complementary hues make each other appear to be brighter. 2. Analogous hues make each other appear to be duller. 3. ANY significantly brighter color will make another color appear duller. 4. ANY significantly duller color will make another color appear brighter. Therefore if you want a color to appear at its brightest point, surround it with a duller version of its complement. (combine rules #1 & #4) Conversely, if you want a color to appear at its dullest point, surround it with a brighter version of itself. (Combine rules #2 & # 3)

Simultaneous contrast- Value

The value of a color will appear to be darker if surrounded by a lighter color, and lighter if surrounded by a darker color.

Transparent pigments

allow high visibility of the support surface.

Semi-transparent, or semi opaque pigments

allow various degrees of visibility of the support surface.

complementary hues

hues directly opposite one another on the color wheel. Theoretically, when they are mixed, each will lower the intensity and value of the other without changing the original hues. The mixture of the two, when perfectly balanced, will result in a neutral gray or black. When placed next to each other they make each other appear to be brighter.

additive color

mixing light primaries. primaries are RGB. light primaries mix to make white light. Used for TV, computer monitors.

Subtractive colors

mixing pigment primaries.

high tinting strength

pigment is very strong and a small amount can easily overwhelm another pigment. Phthalocyanine pigments.

Tinting strength

refers to the ability of one pigment to affect another when mixed together.

Opacity

refers to the ability to see through a pigment to the support surface.

opaque pigments

totally block the visibility of the support surface.

CMYK primary system

used for four color process printing (magazines, advertising, etc). Primaries are Cyan, magenta, and yellow. K represents black plate used to control value.