Scribd
Upload
271 views37 pages

Colour Theory PDF

Uploaded by

Srinivasa Rao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
271 views37 pages

Colour Theory PDF

Uploaded by

Srinivasa Rao
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 37

Colour Theory

Colour Theories

1. Subtractive Theory
• The subtractive, or
pigment theory deals
with how white light is
absorbed and reflected
off of colored surfaces.
2. Additive Theory
• The Additive, or light
theory deals with
radiated and filtered
light.
Colour Theories

1. Subtractive Theory
• The subtractive, or
pigment theory deals
with how white light is
absorbed and reflected
off of colored surfaces.
2. Additive Theory
• The Additive, or light
theory deals with
radiated and filtered
light.
Historical “Landmarks” in Colour Theory

• Isaac Newton
(1642-1726)
– Rainbow
– Do prisms colour
light?
– experiments (1672)
– Source: Vision Science &
Modern Art
Goethe’s Theory of Colours
(1810)
• Built on wavelength
theory of light
• Methods interesting
• Conclusion refuted
• Influential on artists
• Ex. Turner
• Colour theory
weblink
Goethe’s Colour Wheel
Simultaneous contrast &
optical mixing
• M.E. Chevreuil, De loi du contraste
simultané des couleurs (1839)
– Chemist, worked in
Tapestry (Goeblins)

QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Un compressed) decompressor
are neede d to se e this picture.
Other Influential Theories for
Modern Painters
• Ogden Rood, Modern
Chromatics (1881 French
translation).
– Explained difference
between mixing light and
mixing pigments.
• David Sutter, Phenomena of
Vision (1880)
– irradiation, or value contrast
• Charles Henry, Cercle
Chromatique (1889).
– Developed a psycho-
physical aesthetic; related
lines and colors to
emotional expression.
Pointillism (French painting style --theories of optical mixing)
Seurat: Sunday afternoon at la grande Jatte.
Other early theorists of Colour
Interaction
• Josef Albers
(18888-1976)
– Influential colour
theory for painters &
designers
• Johannes Itten
– Colour star & wheel
– Influential on
designers (website
explaining uses)

Ablers, Hommage to the Square, 1965


Other Issues--
• Color measurement -
colour science site
• Nomenclature initiatives
• Inter-society color
council
• Color Association of
America
• Informative colour
science link
• World color Survey
• Testing naming
Subtractive Theory
• Black absorbs most light
• White reflects most light
• Coloured Pigments absorb light and
reflect only the frequency of the pigment
colour.
• All colours other than the pigment
colours are absorbed so this is called
subtractive colour theory.
• The primary colours in Subtractive
Theory are:
– Cyan (C)
– Magenta ( M )
– Yellow (Y)
– Black (K)
• Subtractive or Pigment Theory is used in
printing and painting.
Additive Theory
• Black radiates no light
• White (sun) radiates all light
• Video is the process of capturing and
radiating light, therefore it uses Additive
(Light) Theory not Subtractive (Pigment)
Theory.
• The primary colours in Additive Theory
are:
– Red (R)
– Green (G)
– Blue (B)
• The primary colours add together to
make white
• Light Theory is also called Additive
Theory.
• Light Theory is used in Television,
theater lighting, computer monitors, and
video production.
The Visible Spectrum
The Colour Wheel

If the ends of the spectrum are bent around a


colour wheel is formed:
The Colour Wheel
• Colours on the wheel
can be described
using three
parameters:
1. Hue: degrees from 0˚
to 360˚
2. Saturation: brightness
or dullness
3. Value: lightness or
darkness
(As suggested by Henry Albert Munsell
in A Colour Notation, 1905)
The Colour Tree by American artist Henry Albert Munsell from
A Colour Notation, 1905.
The Colour Wheel: Hue
• Hue or Spectral
Colour is represented
as an angle.
• Primary Colours:
• 0˚ = Red
• 120˚ = Green
• 240˚ = Blue
• Secondary Colours:
• 60˚ = Yellow
• 180˚ = Cyan
• 300˚ = Magenta
The Colour Wheel: Saturation
• Saturation or Chroma is
the intensity of a colour.
• A highly saturated colour
is bright and appears
closer to the edge of the
wheel.
• A more unsaturated
colour is dull.
• A colour with no
saturation is achromatic
or in the grey scale.
The Colour Wheel: Value
"the quality by which we
distinguish a light color
from a dark one."
- Albert Henry Munsell
A Colour Notation 1905

Value represents the luminescent


contrast value between black
and white
The Colour Wheel: Value
The Colour Wheel: Value
The Colour Wheel 3d
Three parameters to describe a colour: Hue
Chroma Value
Tone = Shade + Tint
Colour Pickers

• HSB, HLS, HSV


• RGB
• CMYK
• Others
– Crayon
– Lab
– PANTONE

Munsell’s notation wheel


Colour Pickers: HSB, HLS,
HSV
• HSV
• Hue
• Saturation
• Value
• HSB (Same as HSV)
• Hue
• Saturation
• Brightness

• HLS
• Hue
• Lightness
• Saturation
Colour Pickers: RGB, CMYK
• RGB
• Red
• Green
• Blue
– Used in Video and
Computer graphics
– 3 Values in % or between
• 0-255

• CMYK
• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow
• K = Black
– Used for printing
Colour Pickers: Crayon,
PANTONE

• Crayon
• Easy to use
Pantone Colour Matching System
Standard for the printing industry
Colour Pickers: Lab
L,a,b Colour opposition
correlates
L = Lightness (0 = White, 100
= Black)
+a to -a = Red to Green
+b to -b = Yellow to Blue
Colour Pickers: Bit Depth

• Each colour is described by 3 values,


each with a possible range of 0 to 255.

• 256 x 256 x 256 = 16,777,216 possible


colours

• 224 = 16,777,216 = 24 bit colour


Colour Schemes
Systematic ways of selecting colours

• Monochromatic
• Complimentary
• Analogous
• Warm
• Cool
• Achromatic
• Chromatic Grays
Colour Schemes: Monochromatic

• Monochromatic:
Artist: Marc Chagall One Hue many values of
Title: Les Amants Sur Le Toit Tint and Shade
Colour Schemes: Complimentary

Artist: Paul Cezanne


• Complimentary: Colours
Title: La Montage Saint Victoire that are opposite on the
Year: 1886-88 wheel. High Contrast
Colour Schemes: Analogous

Artist: Vincent van Gogh • Analogous: A selection of


Title: The Iris colours that are adjacent.
Year: 1889 Minimal contrast
Colour Schemes: Warm

Artist: Jan Vermee Warm: First half of the wheel


Title: Girl Asleep at a Table give warmer colours. The
Year: 1657 colours of fire.
Colour Schemes: Cool

Artist: Pablo Picasso Cool: Second half of the


Title: Femme Allongée Lisant wheel gives cooler colours
Year: 1939
Colour Schemes:
Achromatic, Chromatic Grays

Achromatic: Black and white Chromatic Grays: Also called


with all the grays in-between. neutral relief. Dull colours, low
contrast.
Colour Theory
• Colour Theories
– Subtractive (ink)
– Additive (video)
• The Colour Wheel
• Colour Pickers
– HSB, RGB, CMYK
• Colour Schemes
– Monochromatic
– Analogous
– Complimentary
– Warm, Cool

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy