Color Systems

“THE PUREST AND MOST THOUGHTFUL MINDS ARE

THOSE WHICH LOVE COLOR THE MOST.” — JOHN RUSKIN.
 How Do You Describe a Color?
When talking about color, there are some terms that in current language are used as synonyms; however, in a
more technical language, they have very different meanings.
In 1905, artist and teacher Albert H. Munsell experienced the confusion from using common color names to
describe a color.
One person's maroon is someone else’s burgundy.
Navy blue may be one of a number of different dark blue colors, as anyone who's tried matching a blue jacket
with blue pants knows.
Albert Munsell devoted his life to developing a color identification and notation system that prevents
confusion and makes communication easier. To describe a color, there are some attributes that can be
specified in mathematical detail and clarify exactly what color you are referring to:
✓Hue
✓Value
✓Chroma
Three Dimensions of Color
Our perception of color can be described through 3 qualities:
▪Hue
▪Value
▪Intensity/Saturation
The Three Dimensions of a Color
Dimension Definition
Hue Name of a color family
Value Lightness or darkness of a color

Chroma Strength or intensity of a color

The main attributes that define a color in all its endless variations are hue,
value, and chroma.
Color Dimension 1: Hue
▪You can think of hues as the colors of the rainbow. If we arrange them in a
circle, in a sequence from yellow, yellow-red, red, red-purple, etc, we end up with
a color wheel of the hues.

▪Each hue includes the different colors that vary in value (dark/light) and
chroma (intensity) but are part of the same hue family.

▪For example, in the blue hue, you can find a wide range of blues. Of course,
there will be pure blue, but also light blue and dark blue, intense (high chroma)
blue, and dull (low chroma) blue, and all combinations in between.
All Hues Are Colors, Not All Colors Are
Hues
While all the hues on the color wheel are also colors, some colors are not hues and are not
included in the color wheel.

Think of brown for example. Brown is a color, but it does not appear on the color wheel because
it’s not a hue. In fact, brown is a dull color under a hue. Depending on the kind of brown, it
could be a dull red, orange, or even purple.
Hue
▪Hue is the pure form of color that has not mixed with black or white
▪It is the another name of color
▪Hue represents a specific wavelength of color
▪A hue is a color that is in the color spectrum
▪Example: hues are basic colors like red, blue, green, yellow, orange, violet.
 Color Dimension 2: Value
and the Munsell Value Scale
▪Value is the degree of lightness or darkness of a color.
▪Munsell has divided the gap from black to white in 10 equal steps called the value
scale.
▪Black has value zero and pure white has value 10. The values in between are
gradually lighter grays of values 2, 4, 6, and 8.
▪Every color can be associated with a specific value. You can see the real value of a
color by squinting.
▪When squinting, your eyelashes filter, and somehow block, the colored light,
letting you see the color-less grayish version of an object.
▪While you squint, you may hold a value scale in the line of vision next to the color
you are evaluating. This way it’s easier to compare and determine the exact value.
Fig. 1 Structure of the Munsell color system
in space. The 3-D Munsell Color System
Value
Value is the lightness or darkness of color it reflects to black and white.
We can change the value of a color by adding black or white to it.
Value refers to lightness or darkness of color (tint, shade, tone)
TINT = HUE MIXED WITH WHITE
SHADE = HUE MIXED WITH BLACK
TONE = HUE MIXED WITH GREY

White, black and grey are referred to as values without hue or intensity
 Color Dimension 3:
Chroma
Chroma refers to the strength or intensity of a color. A high chroma
color is pure from any presence of gray or white. For example, lemon
yellow has a high chroma, while a banana yellow has lower chroma.

Colors with strong chroma are often referred to as bright or saturated,

However, the term brightness is also used to describe the intensity of
light and, therefore, indicates a combination of value (lightness) and
chroma.

Croma is represented by the horizontal scale on Munsell’s color chart in

Fig.1.
Representation of the Munsell Color Solid Cylindrical Coordinates.
sRGB approximations of the 1943 Munsell color notations.
By SharkD - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Intensity
▪Intensity adds interest to the properties of color.
▪Intensity refers to brightness or dullness of a color.
▪Brightness is the degree to which a color appears to be radiating light.
▪Adding white, black or grey will alter the intensity and value of it.
▪Mixing the hue with complementary color changes the intensity.
▪The highest intensity is the hue as it appears in the color wheel.
▪You can make colors less intense (duller) by mixing them with grey.
▪Creates an illusion of depth.
▪Less intense colors-example-blue.
▪More intense colors-example-yellow, red, orange.
The Color Solid
Because each color has three dimensions, an arrangement of all colors takes a three-dimensional
form. The gray scale serves as the center pole, with white at the top and black at the bottom.

The Munsell color solid cannot take the shape of a perfect sphere because hue families contain
different numbers of steps in chroma.

https://youtu.be/h1DCv7xd-5Y
Munsell Notation
The Munsell notation of a color is written as a whole number, followed by a letter and a
fraction.

Hue number and letter designation

Value number/chroma number
Example: 5R 4/14
•5 Red
•Value 4
•Chroma 14
•This is a “pure” red, medium dark, and very strong.
Other Interesting Terms and Notes
A tint is usually intended as a lighter version of a color, obtained adding white to
the color.
Shade: A darker version of a color is usually referred to as shade. Generically
speaking, it can be obtained adding black to a hue, even though sometimes the mix
may need adjustments because black may change the hue.
Pigments are particles of colored material that, when suspended in a liquid or a
medium, become paint.
Black is a neutral color that has no chroma.