Color Theory

Color theory
• color theory or colour theory is a body of
practical guidance to color mixing and the
visual effects of a specific color combination.
 Color wheel
• A color wheel or colour circle is an abstract
illustrative organization of color hues around a
circle, which shows the relationships
between primary colors, secondary colors,
tertiary colors etc.
 Category of color wheel
• Primary colors
• Secondary colors
• Tertiary colors
 Category of color wheel
• Primary colors
– Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in
paint and pigments), primary colors
are the 3 pigment colors that
cannot be mixed or formed by any
combination of other colors. All
other colors are derived from these
3 hues.
 Category of color wheel
• Secondary colors
– Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by
mixing the primary colors.
 Category of color wheel
• Tertiary colors
– Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-
purple, blue-purple, blue-green &
yellow-green.
– These are the colors formed by
mixing a primary and a secondary
color. That's why the hue is a two
word name, such as blue-green,
red-violet, and yellow-orange.
 Color harmony
• Harmony can be defined as a pleasing
arrangement of parts, whether it be music,
poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.

In visual experiences, harmony is something

that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the
viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a
balance in the visual experience.
 Color harmony
• Analogous colors are any three colors which are side by side
on a 12-part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and
yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.
 Color harmony
• Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly
opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and
yellow-green.
 Color harmony
• Nature provides a perfect departure point for color harmony.
 Color context
• Observing the effects colors have on each other is the starting
point for understanding the relativity of color. The relationship
of values, saturations and the warmth or coolness of
respective hues can cause noticeable differences in our
perception of color.
 Hue
• Hue is the most obvious characteristic of a
color. There is really an infinite number of
possible hues. A full range of hues exists, for
example, between red and yellow. In the
middle of that range are all the orange hues.
 Chroma
• Chroma is the purity of a color. High chroma
colors look rich and full. Low chroma colors
look dull and grayish. Sometimes chroma is
called saturation.
 Value
• Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.
Sometimes light colors are called tints, and
dark colors are called shades.
 Color Model
• A color model is simply a way to define color.
A model describes how color will appear on
the computer screen or on paper. Three
popular color models are:
 Color Model
• CMYK model
– is used for print work and it describes colors
based on their percentage of Cyan, Magenta,
Yellow and Black.
– CMYK is known as a “subtractive” color model.
White is the natural color of the paper or other
background, while black results from a full
combination of colored inks.
 Color Model
• Lab Color model
– is a slightly more complex beast. It is made up of
three.
– the lightness component (L)
– “a” component comes from the green-red axis
– “b” component which comes from the blue-yellow
axis