This document defines and describes various color concepts including hue, primary and secondary colors, additive and subtractive color processes, tints, tones, shades, saturation, color schemes like monochromatic and complementary, and key color theory terms. It also provides examples of color printing techniques and analysis of color schemes and mood.

1. Color

3. HUE
A name of a color family or an area on the
color wheel.

6. White Light Refracted by a Prism.

8. SUBTRACTIVE COLOR
PROCESS
The mixing of pigments and dyes so that
all colors of light except the color are
absorbed (subtracted).

9. ADDITIVE COLOR
PROCESS
The mixing of colored lights so that they
shine on a surface, they combine (add) to
make other colors.

12. Hue – the color wheel.

13. PRIMARY COLORS
In a color system, the basic colors that
cannot be broken down into other colors
and that can be combined to create other
colors.

14. SECONDARY COLORS
The product of mixing two primary colors.

15. TERTIARY COLORS
The products of mixing a primary and
secondary color.

16. KEY
• Used synonymously with value. In a scale of values,
high-key colors are lighter than colors in the middle
of the scale; low-key colors are darker than the
colors in the middle of the scale.

17. High key

18. Low key

19. TONE
• A color that has gray added to it.

20. TINT
• A color that has white added to it.

21. SHADE
• A color that has black added to it.

22. INTENSITY, SATURATION
The strength or weakness of a color.

24. OPTICAL COLOR MIXING
Placement of different colors in such a way
that the human eye mixes them to form
new colors.

26. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: yellow.

27. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: magenta.

28. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: yellow and magenta.

29. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: cyan.

30. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: yellow, magenta, and cyan.

31. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: black.

32. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color Printing: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black.

33. Sandro Botticelli. Detail of Birth of Venus. 1486.
Color printing detail.

42. Color Schemes
• Monochromatic, Analogous, and
Complementary
• Triads, Tetrads, and Hexads
• Warm and Cool
Colors
• Earth Tones
• Polychromatic
Schemes

44. MONOCHROMATIC COLOR
SCHEME
Variations in color based on one hue.

49. ANALOGOUS COLOR
SCHEME
Variations in color between hues adjacent
to one another on the color wheel.

53. COMPLIMENTARY COLOR
SCHEME
Variations in color based on colors opposite
each other on the color wheel.

56. SIMULTANEOUS
CONTRAST
An effect achieved by placing highly
contrasting colors (complements), values,
and intensities next to each other.

59. TRIAD
Three colors that are equidistant from one
another (form an equilateral triangle) on the
color wheel.

63. TETRAD
Four colors that are equidistant from one
another (form a square or rectangle) on the
color wheel.

65. Polychromatic Color
Scheme
Having many colors; random or intuitive
use of color combinations as opposed to
color selection based on a specific color
scheme.

66. Earth Tones

68. Analysis:
• Color temperature
• Color Scheme
• Key
• Mood