CSE3325: Colour


In the previous lecture:

In this lecture:


 

colour! What is colour?
  • A can of worms!
  • A sensation
  • The stimulation of the eye's retina

The wavelength of light hitting the retina determines the cones (structures in the eye responsible for colour vision) which will be stimulated and the messages which will be sent to the brain.


Subtractive Colour

All materials contain pigments which

  • Absorb

  • Reflect &

  • Transmit LIGHT

absorb, transmit, reflect

 

Paints & dyes are pigments in convenient, human useable form!

Subtractive Primary colours are the basis for all other colours. (What primary colours are used for printing purposes?)

  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Blue

Secondary colours are constructed by combining equal proportions of primary colour.

  • Orange......Red + Yellow
  • Purple........Red + Blue
  • Green.........Yellow + Blue

Subtractive - pigments filter out light of different wavelengths from white light, leaving coloured light to be detected by our retina.

Eg. A white page of paper appears (and is called) white because it is reflecting all wavelengths of visible light incident upon it.

If one were to apply blue ink to a white page, light hitting it would be filtered by the pigment in the ink (which only transmits blue light). This blue light would hit the white page, be reflected back through the ink (where it is filtered again) and may hit a person's retina. That person may well exclaim "Blue!".

What primary colours are used in printing on white paper? (Inspect a colour newspaper with a magnifying glass to find out.)


Colour Wheel - a diagramatic representation of the relationships between colours.

The primary colours form the verteces of a triangle around the circumference of the wheel.

Secondary colours fit between these, tertiary colours flesh out the circumference to any resolution you please.

Subtractive colour wheel

Intermediate colours are constructed by combining two primaries in a ratio of 2:1.
(These colours lie between the primary and secondary colours on a colour wheel)

Tertiary colours are combinations of the primary colours in any other proportion.

Tints & Shades are series of colours obtained by adding white (for tints) or black (for shades) to a colour obtained above.

If you really want to understand what these terms mean, there is no substitute for buying some white, black, red, blue and yellow paint and some white paper... get your fingers dirty. (Take my word for it, this will give you a better understanding of colour than learning these notes ever will!)


Additive Colour

Additive Primary colours

  • Red
  • Green
  • Blue

Additive Secondary colours

  • Yellow...... Red + Green
  • Magenta.... Red + Blue
  • Cyan......... Green + Blue

Additive colours may be specified by giving intesity values for each of the Red, Green and Blue components at a single pixel.


Additive colour specification in HTML

R, G, B each specified by hexadecimal pair (RRGGBB).

Each pair may range from 00 (off) to ff (fully on).

Specify basic colours by name
(These will be interpreted by the browser - check the HTML source for the preceding sentence!)


Here's a colour wheel for the additive system.

The primary colours still form a triangle, the secondaries fit between these, and the tertiary colours flesh out the circle.

additive colour wheel



Hue, Saturation & Value (HSV / HSB)

Hue is the 'colour' of a colour, e.g. that which allows you to identify it as a 'blue' or a 'red'.

hue

Saturation is the '-ness' of a colour, for example its 'blueness' or 'redness', also loosely called intensity. (A more saturated red is a more intense red)

saturation

Value is the amount of light or dark in a colour. Sometimes called 'Brightness'.

value

Colour Relationships

Groups of colours relate differently to one another depending on their properties.

Discordant colours 'jar'.

yellow & black bars

What colour is a...

  • bee?
  • fly?
  • construction vehicle?

Would you step on a grey bee?

  • battleship?
  • tiger?
  • elephant?

Have you ever seen a black and yellow elephant?

 

Harmonious colours 'relax'. (Especially if they are not highly saturated)

Imagine a dentist's waiting room painted black and yellow!

pale swatches

Colour Effects

Colour relationships can be used to encourage a viewer to feel uneasy or at ease, comfortable, disoriented or cramped.

Warm hues (yellow <-> red) encourage viewers to feel heat or warmth.

warm hues

Warm hues move forward in a composition.

warm & cool

Cool hues (blue <-> green) encourage a cold or cool feeling.

cool hues

Cool hues sit backward in a composition.

warm & cool

Here is an excellent illustration of colour depth effects...


energetic

Colours can look energetic and busy, or calm and easy going.

calm


Colour Meanings

Colours have culture-specific meanings

Love, passion, heat, flame, feminine power
Fertility, peace, nature, Earth
Truth, clarity, dignity, power
Energy, joy, lightness of being
Royalty, wealth, sophistication
Masculinity, stability
Death, rebellion, darkness, elegance
Lightness, purity, cleanliness, emptiness


Colours may be associated with people and professions (often through trade clothing)

Spanish dancers, bull fighters?
Soldiers, tram conductors
Police, sailors, blue collar workers
Bananas in Pyjamas?
Clergy members, Suffragettes
School teachers?
Goths, motorcycle riders, artists, heavy metal heads
Doctors, chemists, dentists, white collar workers, virgins

There are many other considerations in choosing colour for your displays. NASA has an interesting website on this very topic.


Practicalities of Web Additive Colour

Different computers have different

Hence colours ain't colours!

So...



This lecture's key point(s):


CSE3325 courseware | CSE3325 lecture notes

©Copyright Alan Dorin 2005