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Color Theory

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Color theory was originally formulated in terms of three primary colors -- red, yellow and blue (RYB) -- because these colors were believed capable of mixing all other colors. This color mixing behavior had long been known to printers, dyers and painters, but these trades preferred pure pigments to primary color mixtures, because the mixtures were too dull.

The RYB primary colors became the foundation of all physical colors. Subsequently that color perception was best described in terms of a different set of primary colors -- red, green and blue violet (RGB) -- modeled through the additive mixture of three monochromatic lights. ROY G. BIV is an acronym for the colors of the spectrum on the color wheel which are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

In color theory, a tint is the mixture of a color with white, which increases lightness, and a shade is the mixture of a color with black, which reduces lightness. Mixing with any neutral color, including black and white, reduces chroma or colorfulness, while the hue remains unchanged.

In Review

What is the color wheel?
The color wheel is the a basic color lesson that is a visual chart of the colors in the spectrum Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

Name the primary colors.
The primary colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Name the secondary colors.
The secondary colors are Orange, Green, and Purple.

Name the intermediate colors.
The intermediate colors are Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Purple, and Red-Purple.

What is color value?
Color value is lightness of a color.

Define tint.
Tint is the lighter values of a color.

Define shade.
Shade are the darker values of a color.

Describe three color schemes.
Monochromatic is a color scheme that uses only one color.
Analogous is a color scheme that uses three to five colors that are right next to each other on the color wheel.
The complementary color scheme uses colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel.

Define monochromatic
Monochromatic is a color scheme that uses only one color.

Give an example of complementary colors.
An example of complementaryt colors are red and green.

Give an example of analogous colors. Describe the problem usually encountered with analogous colors.
An example of analogous colors are black and orange. A problem usually encountered with analogous colors is that they don't provide much contrast.

Give an example of warm colors.
An example of warm colors are reds, yellows, and oranges.

Give an example of cool colors.
An example of cool colors are blues, greens, and purples.

What is color psychology? Give examples of meanings attached to three colors in American culture.
Color psychology is the use of different colors to effect viewers to make them feel a certain way. Three colors attached to American culture are pinks for girls, blues for boys, and green for money.

These 3 sites provide information on the use of color on the Web:

  1. Color on the Web
  2. Testing the Readability of Web Page Colors
  3. Color Theory for Web Designers