What are the properties of color? Here are some critical ones, largely culled from [Nate Baldwin's excellent site on color](https://colorandcontrast.com/#/hue): * **Hue:** typically referred to using named colors, such as "red." In color spaces, hue is measured in degrees and defines specific values of color. * **Chroma:** The colorfulness of a color, independent from a color's lightness. A change in this property results in a tone. Synonyms include colorfulness, saturation, brilliance, and vibrancy. * **Lightness.** The amount of lightness of a color, or its relative proximity to white or black. A change in this property results in a tint or a shade. Synonyms include value and brightness. * **Opacity:** A property that describes how much you can see behind a color. * A color that cannot be seen through is fully opaque. * A color that can be seen through but still perceived is translucent. * A color that is fully seen through and not perceived is transparent. * **Tone:** a less colorful version of a color, generally equal to "adding gray" (or adding the color's compliment). * **Tint:** a lighter version of a color, generally equal to "adding white". * **Shade:** a darker version of a color, generally equal to "adding black" * **Chromaticity:** refers to a color's hue and colorfulness * **Contrast:** ==???== Depending on the color space, there can be other properties beyond these basic ones, or some of the properties above might mean slightly different things (i.e. see [Wikipedia's entry on colorfulness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorfulness), "the precise meanings of the terms vary by what other functions they are dependent on"). As [Björn Ottoson notes](https://bottosson.github.io/posts/colorpicker/), some properties of color are in conflict with each other, so: > ... designing a color space for color picking is a about finding which tradeoffs to make. In particular, independent control of hue, lightness and chroma can not be achieved in a color space that also maps sRGB to a simple geometrical shape. ## Flashcards | Q | A | | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | What is hue? | The color | | How is hue usually described in conversation? | By the color's name, i.e. "red" | | How is hue measured in color spaces? | Degrees (0-360) that define specific values of color | | What is chroma? | The colorfulness of a color | | A change in chroma results in... | A tone | | What are synonyms for chroma? | Colorfulness, saturation, brilliance, vibrancy | | Chroma is independent of... | a color's lightness | | What caution should I use when referring to chroma? | The precise meaning can differ based on what other | | What is lightness? | A color's relative proximity to white or black | | A change in lightness results in... | A tint or shade | | What is opacity? | A property that describes how much you can see behind a color | | What three terms describe opacity? | Opaque, translucent, transparent | | What is a tone? | A less colorful version of a color | | How can one create a tone? | Adding gray or a color's compliment | | What is a tint? | A lighter version of a color, usually equal to "adding white" | | What is a shade? | A darker version of a color, usually equal to "adding black" | | What is chromaticity? | Refers to a color's hue and colorfulness together | ## Reference [Baldwin, Nate. "Color & Contrast: Color Properties" (accessed June 2024).](https://colorandcontrast.com/#/color-psychology) Dhannaway, Adham. "Use colour to define a clear visual hierarchy" Practical UI, 2nd edition, pp 89-90 (accessed June 2024). Some good descriptions of saturation and contrast.