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All other colors are CHROMATIC colors. Unlike
achromatic colors (a colorless scheme using blacks, whites
and grays), chromatic colors are described in three ways:
by its name, how pure or desaturated it is, and its value
of lightness. Let’s take a close look at those terms: Hue,
Saturation, and Luminance (otherwise known as Lightness, Value).
Hue is a value of the color: red,
green, blue, etc. Hue determines the location of color in
the spectrum (red-green-yellow-blue) and is the main description
of the color. Hue depends upon wavelength: long-length waves
are presented as a red part of the spectrum; short-length
waves
are presented as a blue-purple range of color; medium-length
waves are presented as an yellow and orange, believed to be
the most optimal for eye.
Saturation: The degree of purity
of a hue. The higher saturation - the higher chroma, or color’s
freedom from white or gray. As an example, imagine the fresh
grass beside the road that is becoming dusty: more dust means
less primary green color, and the lower its saturation. The
most saturated colors are spectrum colors and the lowest saturation
produces complete achromatic effect (the absence of a hue).
Luminance: A measure of the amount
of light reflected from a hue (those hues with a high content
of white have a higher luminance). Both, achromatic and chromatic
colors, have lightness or darkness (it depends from color’s
location on the scale that shows “white to black” gradation).
Just compare a color of a regular coffee and coffee to which
milk was added. The lightest color is white, the darkest color
is black. Some colors are primarily lighter (yellow) and some
are darker (blue, violet). Luminance provides for color darkness
and lightness. Imagine the ball that is under light: the part
closer to light is lighter (it reflects back more light) and
the opposite part is in a complete shadow. Adding to a color
white, gray or black, you can achieve values that named Tint,
Tone and Shade. Tint is a hue that produced by the addition
of white. Tone is a hue that produced by the addition of gray.
Shade is a hue that produced by the addition of black.
The change of a hue, saturation and luminance can have various
presentation.
Example
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