Friday, June 3, 2011

Colour

Colour attributes

Each colour has its own distinct appearance, based on three elements: hue, chroma and value (lightness). By describing a colour using these three attributes, you can accurately identify a particular colour and distinguish it from any other.

Hue : Hue indicates a particular colour sensation which is dependent simply on the relevant wavelength; the inherent colour of a thing; the purest or brightest form of a colour having no white or black mixed with it. Quite simply, hue is how we perceive an object’s colour — red, orange, green, blue, etc. Each hue has an intrinsic tonal value on the chromatic scale.



Chroma: Chroma is the extent of a colour’s brightness or saturation; the purity of a colour, in other words, how close the colour is to either gray or the pure hue. For example, think of the appearance of a tomato and a radish. The red of the tomato is vivid, while the radish appears duller.

Lightness: Lightness is the luminous intensity of a colour. It is that attribute of a colour which indicates the extent of the light which it reflects. Colours can be classified as light or dark when comparing their value.