color and comp color theory terms

color

hue, saturation, and value.

color symbolism

Color symbolism is based upon
automatic associations attached to
colors or color combinations that are
learned and culturally determined. In
many ways color are linked to abstract
ideas like love, mortality, authority, or
nationhood.

cmyk

CMYK or ‘Cyan, Magenta,
Yellow, Key’, is a color
model that is used for
print purposes. CMYK is a
subtractive color,
meaning that we begin
with white and end up
with black. If we add
more colors together, the
values get darker.

rgb

RGB or ‘Red, Green, Blue”,
is a color model that is
used for on-screen
purposes. RGB is a
additive color, meaning
that when mixing colors,
we start with black and
end up with white as more
colors are added.

hue

The name given to a color to describe
it’s location on the color spectrum
based upon its wavelength

saturation

Sometimes also called intensity or
chroma, saturation refers to the
relative purity of hue present in a
color. A highly saturated color vividly
shows a strong presence of hue;
conversely, low saturation refers to a
weak hue presence.

value

The relative quality of lightness or
darkness in a color

greyscale

A graduated representation of the
value continuum broken down into a
finite number of steps, usually ten,
eleven, or twelve achromatic greys.

achromatic grey

Greys that are created by mixing black
and white. Achromatic Grays have no
evident coloration when seen against a
white background.

chromatic greys

Subtle colors that result from
considerably lowering the saturation
level of prismatic colors. Chromatic
Greys weakly exhibit the distinguishing
quality of the hue family to which they
belong

muted color

Rich but softened colors that reside in
our color wheel between prismatic
color and chromatic grey

prismatic colors

Pure Hues that represent the colors of
the color spectrum at their highest
saturation level. While these are
theoretically infinite in number, our
color wheel distributes them evenly
into twelve major hues

additive color

Color as seen in light. Additive color
primaries are red, green, and blue
violet; when they are combined the
result is white light

subtractive color

Color seen in pigment as the result of
reflected light.

color wheel

A circular depiction of the various
colors and their interrelationships

anomaly

An irregularity; a deviation from a
norm. An anomalous color is one that
breaks sharply with the dominant
tonal quality established by a group of
colors.

complimentary hues

Hues that lie directly opposite each
other on the color wheel.

gradient

A gradual change in one color
in terms of one of color’s
three independent parts.
Two common types of
gradients are the linear
gradient where one color sits
on opposite sides of the
frame, and a radial gradient
where one color sits in the
middle, and another at the
edge.

opacity

The degree of
transparency an
element has. The
lower the opacity, the
more transparent an
element is.

high key

What an image is said to be when the
colors in it are predominantly light in
value

low key

What an image is said to be when the
colors in it are predominantly dark in
value

monochromatic

A color scheme based on one hue.

simultaneous contrast

Simultanious contrast is the optical
effect that two neighboring colors
have upon each other as their
afterimages interact along a shared
border.

secondary color

Orange, Green, and Violet. They are
called secondary because each can be
made by combining two primaries.

tertiary colors

Also called intermediate colors;
combining a primary color and a
secondary color. (i.e. yellow orange)

triadic

Triadic color relationships are
composed of any three equidistant
hues on the color wheel. The two
named triads are the primary and
secondary, but the principle applies to
many different color combinations of
equal spacing on the hue spectrum.

tint

The result of mixing a color with white.

tone

A color with grey added.

shade

The result of mixing a color with black.

paint

Pigment and Binder

palette

Selection of colors you choose to use
for your design.

tinting strength

a color's ability to effect another color or mixture.  White and Yellow have low tinting strength.  Black, magenta, and cyan have high tinting strengths.

intensity

synonym for saturation