Color Theory

Joshua Reichmann
Color Theory
Interactive System Design




















Color is also known as hue. Each hue is a specific spot on the color spectrum. To work with color, there are different attributes you should know about: value, contrast and brightness, and saturation. The range from black to white is called value. Contrast is the degree of separation between values. Whereas brightness adds white to an image, the lack of brightness tones the image. Saturation is the measurement of color intensity. The lack of saturation is like a black and white television. The three additive primary colors – red, green, blue – were determined in 1861 by Scottish physicist Sir James Clerk-Maxwell. When the colors come together in various combinations, they produce other colors in the spectrum – with all three combining to produce white light. This, in a simplified manner, is how I understand color is achieved on a computer monitor. The subtractive primaries found by ...