Color theory

Theory of colors a group of basic rules in the mixing of perception

colors to achieve the desired effect by combining colors of light or
combining colors reflected in pigments.

In the practical field of color use, the knowledge we have and have
acquired about this refers to the pigment color and comes from the
teachings of the ancient French Academy of Painting that were considered as
primary colors (those which will produce all other colors by mixing) to
red, yellow, and blue.

In light of this practical knowledge, we see that there are actually two systems.
primary colors: primary colors of light and primary colors of pigment.

Subtractive color mixing

The colors (pigments) that absorb the light of the primary additive colors
(red, blue, green: colors of light) are called primary subtractive colors. They are
magenta (which absorbs green), yellow (which absorbs blue) and
cyan (bluish green, which absorbs red).

Then, if pigments are mixed, it is a subtractive mixture since with

each pigment that is added, we absorb more parts of the
spectrum; that is, more primary colors, and the final result will be the absence
deluz: the black.

Thus, magenta, cyan, and yellow are pigment colors; their fusion creates black.
They are the colors used in printing, inks, and paper. Their mixture is called
subtractive synthesis and it is common in all printing systems, paints, dyes
and colorants.

So, when talking about color mixtures, we need to differentiate between additive mixing.
and subtractive mixing. If lights are mixed, it is an additive mixture and the
the result of the total combination is white light. You can reproduce anything
sensation of color by mixing different amounts of red, green, and blue lights.
That is why these colors are known as additive primaries.

In the case of the pigments used in paints, markers, etc.

they use yellow, magenta, and the basic colors for mixing
cyan.

Color
The colors are a visual impression that the subject has of the object. Consequently, it is
the result of a multiple process where different elements, factors intervene
and processes (physical, biological, and neuro-psychological).
The different sensations of color correspond to light that vibrates with different
frequencies, ranging from approximately 4 × 10^14 vibrations per second
in the red light up to approximately 7.5 × 10^14 vibrations per second in
purple light

Starting from white light, from its perception through sight and its relationship
associative that the brain performs based on what is perceived, the phenomenon is
develop consecutively, as long as we are able to perceive the
reflection of light in matter. Let us observe this broad definition of the phenomenon:

Color, physical phenomenon of light or vision, associated with the different

wavelengths in the visible zone of the electromagnetic spectrum. How
sensation experienced by humans and certain animals, the
The perception of color is a very complex neurophysiological process. The methods
currently used for color specification are framed in the
a specialty called colorimetry, and they consist of precise scientific measurements
based on the wavelengths of three primary colors.

Understanding the above makes a circumscribed definition of two necessary.

light and matter (pigments)

What is light?
We can well understand light as a 'form of electromagnetic radiation'
similar to radiant heat, radio waves or X-rays

Light corresponds to extremely rapid oscillations of a field.

electromagnetic, within a certain range of frequencies that can be
detected by the human eye. The light spectrum can be appreciated by passing a
white light beam through a glass or prism and as a result of refraction
it decomposes and spreads in all its range. In particular, the three stand out
colors 1/3 or basic colors of light (they are called that because they occupy 1/3 of the
light spectrum and the remaining 2/3, as a result of the interaction between the
colors 1/3.

Visible light is made up of electromagnetic vibrations whose lengths of

waves range from about 350 to about 750 nanometers (billionths of a meter). The light
white is the sum of all these vibrations when their intensities are
approximately equal. In all luminous radiation, two can be distinguished
aspects: one quantitative, its intensity, and another qualitative, its chromaticity

The properties of light have always troubled mankind. In the middle of the century
The 17th century is where we find the first treaties and theories about its formation.
and properties. From Isaac Newton (1642-1727) to Einstein (1879-1955), with
In order to explain the photoelectric effect, many theories were formulated; this
last suggested "that light, like other forms of electromagnetic radiation,
travels in small bundles of energy called light quanta or photons." Hence, the
light has a dual quality: wave-particle. Its frequency and its wavelength give it
they assign wave characteristics, but their mass and quantum conformation mark a
behavior as a particle of photon.
Light is emitted by its sources in a straight line, and it spreads over a surface increasingly.
greater as it progresses; the light per unit area decreases according to the square of the
distance.
Otherwise, we can also say that visible light (white light) is made up of
by electromagnetic emissions that travel through space in the form of waves,
arranged in ascending or descending order according to their wavelength (expressed
in nanometers) and its frequency. And since light is equal to energy, we can define its
concept of the following form:
It is the energy that is transmitted in the form of waves through space, of which the
The light spectrum is part of it. All electromagnetic energy is the same throughout the
spectrum, differing only in its wavelength and frequency.

In the entire broad spectrum of electromagnetic energy, we can find

very long waves (reaching up to 1 km in length corresponding to the
electrical energy) or very short (gamma and alpha rays, far below the
nanometer unit). Of course, all these emissions are invisible to the
man. As for the light spectrum, we know that it is part of the spectrum
electromagnetic, defined by a specific range of length and frequency. It
he defines it like this:

In the visible spectrum, it is the small fraction of electromagnetic energy to which

Human eyes are sensitive and understand a range of wavelengths that goes from
400 to 700 nanometers (billionth of a meter; the nanometer is a new term)
of the metric system, accepted as a global 'standard', except for Burma, Liberia
United States...

What are pigments?

The ability of objects to reflect a certain emission of
light waves are due to the physical composition of their exterior. In this case
we talk about the pigments that make up those objects or things. The pigments
they are present in almost all matter. And they are defined as follows:
A colored substance that is insoluble in the medium where it is spread. A pigment is
it is distinguished from ink or a dye because the latter are soluble in the media or
vehicles with which they are mixed. They are usually classified or categorized into
according to its origin, either organic (animal, vegetable or synthetic organic) or inorganic
(mineral or synthetic inorganic)

The pigments were originally made from plants and minerals, the
which were processed, grinding and pulverizing the material that made them up
to then agglutinate it in a specific medium and manipulate it onto other objects
or things. The binder is the medium where the pigment is carried, an example of this
it is the oil, composed of one or more pigments and a binder made from
of oil.

In their molecular composition, these materials possess certain characteristics that

determining their physical reaction to light, reflecting a fraction of it and
absorbing the remaining incident energy, giving us the chromatic impression
that corresponds to the pigment placed on the given material.
All objects have the property of absorbing and reflecting certain radiations.
electromagnetic. (...) Almost all objects owe their color to filters, pigments, or
paints, which absorb certain wavelengths of white light and reflect or
they transmit the others; these reflected or transmitted wavelengths are the ones that
they produce the sensation of color, which is known as pigment color.
What is reflection and absolute absorption?
White light is composed of electromagnetic waves, different from each other.
for their lengths," that is, in a beam of white light they travel like waves
electromagnetic all wavelengths that correspond to each color,
all at once. Thus, we have that white light contains, in sum, the entire range
of electromagnetic emissions that the human eye can perceive. When this
light, we break it down into all or some of its parts, is when we can
capture one or several colors. This can happen at the moment of reflection or
refraction on a material or through it.

From the refraction of light result the following basic colors: blue-
violeta(AV),azul-cian(AC),verde(V),amarillo(A) yrojo-naranja(RN).
Magenta results from the mixture of the extremes of the spectrum: blue-purple and red.
orange. These five names encompass a generalization of the spectrum, since
In practice, not all the other intermediate colors are usually named.

Now, each material or element is capable of a determined wavelength.

(remember the point "pigments") when exposed to radiation. The element, when
to reflect a certain wavelength, it is absorbing the rest of the others
waves; therefore, what we perceive is the reflection of a color. Unlike
this effect, in case of absorbing all the waves and reflecting nothing is what
we would call the absence of color or absolute absorption that corresponds to black. For
Thus, black is a color; it does not reflect light and therefore, none of its
electromagnetic emissions. Now let's define the concept:
It is the absence of light or the reflection of light (transmission) by a material or element,
giving the impression of black (...) No black is absolute. There is a theory about the
Black body, term used by modern physicists, as the substance
ideal that absorbs all radiation and does not reflect anything about it. But in the
In practice, even the darkest terrestrial material reflects at least 3% of the radiation.
incident.

As it is a complex process of factors, we find some doubts.

about its mechanics, physics, and chemistry concerning specific substances:

The mechanism by which substances absorb light is not well understood.

Apparently, the process depends on the molecular structure of the substance. In the case
Among organic compounds, only unsaturated compounds show color (…) The
inorganic compounds are usually colorless in solution or in liquid form, except for the
compounds of the so-called transition elements

Properties of color
Matiz (Hue)
Tone (hue) or tint is the attribute that differentiates color and by which we designate
the colors: green, violet, orange. It is the pure state of the color, without
the white one black added, and it is an attribute associated with the length of
dominant tone in the mixture of light waves. The Hue is defined as a
color attribute that allows us to distinguish red from blue, and refers to the journey
that makes a tone towards one side or the other of the color wheel, so that
the yellowish green and the bluish green will be different shades of green. The 3
primary colors represent the 3 primary hues, and by mixing these we can
obtain the other shades or colors. Two colors are complementary when
they are opposite each other in the color wheel (color circle).

Saturation or Intensity
Saturation is the chromatic intensity or purity of a color. Value is the lightness or...
The darkness of a color is determined by the amount of light that a color has.
Value and brightness express the same thing.

Also called Chroma, this concept represents the purity or intensity of a

particular color, the brightness or paleness of it, and it can be related to the width
of the light band that we are visualizing. The pure colors of the spectrum are
completely saturated. An intense color is very vivid. The more a color is saturated...
Color, the greater is the impression that the object is moving.

It can also be defined by the amount of gray a color contains: while

the more gray or more neutral it is, the less bright or less "saturated" it is. Likewise,
Any change made to a pure color automatically lowers its saturation.

For example, we say 'a very saturated red' when referring to a pure red.
and rich. But when we refer to the tones of a color that has some value of
gray, we call them less saturated. The saturation of color is said to be more
it decreases when its opposite (called complementary) is added in the circle
chromatic.

To desaturate a color without changing its value, it must be mixed with a gray of
black and white of the same value. An intense color like blue will lose its
saturation as white is added and it turns light blue.

Another way to desaturate a color is to mix it with its complementary, since

produce its neutralization. Based on these concepts, we can define a
neutral color like the one in which its saturation is not clearly perceived. The
The intensity of a color is determined by its light or dull character.

This property is always comparative, as we relate the intensity in

comparison with other things. The important thing is to learn to distinguish the relationships
of intensity, since it often changes when a color is surrounded
on the other hand.

Shine
Amount of light emitted by a light source or reflected by a surface.

It is a term used to describe how light or dark a color appears, and

refers to the amount of perceived light. Brightness can be defined as the amount
of 'darkness' that has a color, that is, it represents how light or dark something is
color regarding its pattern color.

It is an important property, as it will create spatial sensations through

of color. Thus, portions of the same color with strong differences in value
(value contrast) define different portions in space, while a
gradual change in the value of a color (gradation) will give a feeling of
contour, of continuity of an object in space.

The value is the highest degree of lightness or darkness of a color. A blue, for
example, mixed with white, results in a lighter blue, that is to say,
a higher value. Also known as tone, it is different from color, as it
obtains from the addition of white or black to a base color.

As more black is added to a color, that darkness intensifies and

a lower value is obtained. As more white is added to a color,
intensifies its clarity, which results in higher values. Two
different colors (like red and blue) can end up having the same tone, yes
we consider the concept as the same degree of clarity or darkness with
relationship to the same amount of white or black that they contain, depending on each case.

The classical description of values corresponds to clear (when it contains

quantities of white), medium (when it contains amounts of gray) and dark
the amount of black it contains). The brighter the color, the greater it is.
the impression that the object is closer than it actually is.

Luminosity

Amount of light reflected by a surface compared to that reflected by

a white surface under the same lighting conditions.

These properties of color have given rise to a special system of

representation of these, as we have seen in the previous section, system
HSV. To express a color in this system, it starts from pure colors, and it
they express their variations in these three properties as a percentage.
We can use these properties in the search for ranges and contrasts of
suitable colors for our pages, making it possible to create contrasts in the
hue, in saturation and brightness, and perhaps the latter is the most effective.