Color Terms

  • Color: The quality of light reflected by an object, determined by hue, saturation, and value.

  • Afterimage: Optical effect where a complementary color appears at the edge of an observed color.

  • Color Interaction: How colors change their appearance depending on the colors around them.

  • Color Symbolism: Cultural associations attached to colors representing abstract ideas like love or authority.

  • CMYK: A subtractive color model (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) used for printing.

  • RGB: An additive color model (Red, Green, Blue) used for screens, starting with black and ending with white.

  • Hue: The name of a color based on its position in the color spectrum.

  • Saturation: The intensity or purity of a color’s hue.

  • Value: The lightness or darkness of a color.

  • Greyscale: A gradient of achromatic greys, showing light-to-dark steps.

  • Achromatic Grey: A grey made by mixing black and white, with no hue.

  • Chromatic Greys: Muted colors with low saturation that still show some hue.

  • Muted Color: Softened, rich colors between prismatic colors and chromatic greys.

  • Prismatic Colors: Pure, highly saturated colors from the color spectrum.

  • Additive Color: Color as seen in light, where red, green, and blue combine to make white.

  • Subtractive Color: Color seen in pigments, where colors combine to make darker shades.

  • Color Wheel: A circular chart showing the relationships between colors.

  • Luminosity: Light reflected from a surface, tied to a color’s value.

  • Anomaly: A color that sharply contrasts with others in a group.

  • Bridge Tones: Colors that combine elements of two distinct hues to soften contrasts.

  • Complementary Hues: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel.

  • Color Constancy: The way our perception of color changes with different lighting.

  • Gradient: A gradual change in a color's hue, saturation, or value.

  • Opacity: How transparent or opaque an element is.

  • High Key: An image where most colors are light in value.

  • Low Key: An image where most colors are dark in value.

  • Monochromatic: A color scheme based on variations of one hue.

  • Simultaneous Contrast: Optical effect where neighboring colors alter each other’s appearance.

  • Primary Triad: The three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue.

  • Secondary Color: Orange, green, and violet, created by mixing two primary colors.

  • Tertiary Color: Colors made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color.

  • Triadic: Three equidistant colors on the color wheel, like primary or secondary triads.

  • Analogous Hues: Colors next to each other on the color wheel (e.g., yellow and green).

  • Tint: A color mixed with white.

  • Tone: A color mixed with grey.

  • Shade: A color mixed with black.

  • Paint: A mixture of pigment and binder that dries to form a colored layer.

  • Palette: The selection of colors chosen for a design.

  • Co-Primaries: Cool and warm versions of primary colors in a subtractive color model.