Digital & Interactive Media

Color Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddYUw7a4erk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCu0l1vBw_k
 Test Questions
Tertiary colors are created by?

CMYK value ranges can be between what two numbers?

Using RGB values, how is black created?

A triad color scheme is formed using?

Using RGB values, how is yellow created?

Neutral colors are?

The primary colors are?

The secondary colors are?

CMYK stands for?

Complementary colors are?

 PART ONE
Color Terminology &
Color Schemes
 Color Terminology

Color: Color results when light is reflected off of an

object. As the light hits an object, some of the light
wave is absorbed into the object. A portion of the
light wave is reflected back to your eyes.
The color that is reflected is determined by
the LENGTH of the
light wave that is reflected
from the object.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu44JRTIxSQ

Color Terminology

Primary colors:
Red, Yellow, and Blue
These are considered the basic colors.
All other colors can be created by using a mixture of any of these
three colors.

RED YELLOW BLUE

 Color Terminology

Tints
Created by adding white to a Blue
color Blue + White
= Tint

Shades
Created by adding black to a
color Blue + Black
=
Blue
Shade
 Color Terminology

Secondary colors:
Orange, Violet, and Green
Created by mixing equal Red
+ Yellow
= Orange

amounts of two primary

colors

Red
+ Blue
= Violet

Blue
+ Yellow
= Green
 Color Terminology
Primary + Secondary = Tertiary

Tertiary colors: Yellow

These colors can be created by

Yellow + Green = Green

mixing a primary color with an

adjacent secondary color Red-

OR they can be made by mixing Red + Violet = Violet

unequal amounts of two

primary colors. Red-
Red + Orange
= Orange

Blue-
Blue + Green
= Green
 Color Terminology

Neutral colors:
White Black
Brown
Black Gray

Varying shades of each

White

Tan

Brown
 Color Terminology

Color Wheel: Blue-

If we arrange the primary,

Green
Green

secondary, and tertiary colors Yellow-

Green
Blue

in a circle, adjacent to the

Blue-
colors according to their Yellow Violet

mixture combinations, we get a

color wheel. Violet
Yellow-
Orange

Orange
Red-
Red Violet
Red-
Orange
 Color Schemes

Complementary colors: Blue-

Any two colors that are exactly

Green
Green

opposite on the color wheel Yellow-

Green
Blue

Blue-
Yellow Violet

Violet
Yellow-
Orange

Orange
Red-
Red Violet
Red-
Orange
 Color Schemes

Split-complement colors: Blue-

Has three colors

Green
Green
Yellow-
Pick a color Green
Blue

Find the two adjacent colors of Blue-

its complementary color Yellow Violet

Violet
Yellow-
Orange

Orange
Red-
Red Violet
Red-
Orange
 Color Schemes

Analogous colors: Blue-

Any three colors that are side

Green
Green

by side on the color wheel Yellow-

Green
Blue

Blue-
Yellow Violet

Violet
Yellow-
Orange

Orange
Red-
Red Violet
Red-
Orange
 Color Schemes

Harmonious Pairs: Blue-

Has four colors that are split-

Green
Green

complements of each other Yellow-

Green
Blue

Find a complementary pair

Blue-
Locate the two adjacent colors Yellow Violet

for the original pair

Violet
Yellow-
Orange

Orange
Red-
Red Violet
Red-
Orange
 Color Schemes
Triad colors:
3 colors that are equally distant Blue-
Green
from each other on the color Yellow-
Green

Blue
wheel Green

Most basic triad scheme is the 3 Blue-

Yellow Violet
primary colors
If you lay an equilateral triangle Violet
Yellow-
(triangle with all three sides the Orange

same length) in the middle of the Orange

Red-
color wheel, the tips of the triangle Red Violet

will point to three colors that make Red-

Orange
up a triadic scheme.
 Color Schemes

Tetrad colors: Blue-

Green
Have four colors that are Yellow-
Green

Blue
equally distant from each Green

other on the color wheel Blue-

Violet
Yellow
If you lay a square in the
middle of the color wheel, Yellow-
Violet

the tips of it will point to Orange

the four colors that make Orange

Red-

up a tetrad scheme. Red-

Red Violet

Orange
 Color Scheme Example

Tetrad Pairs
Place a square in the
middle of the color wheel.
Your four colors are located
at the corners of the
square.
Choose two colors for the
majority of your objects
and let the other two colors
be accents.
 Color Scheme Example

Analogous Scheme
Choose any 3 colors that
are side by side on the
color wheel.
Any neutral color may be
brought in as an accent.
 Assignment #1

Create a color scheme:

Use color wheel https://color.adobe.com/
Using the given Images and paint program / Photoshop, color in the
designs to represent various color schemes.
Choose your own variations of color that represent the given
schemes.
You may color in the background with a scheme color, or you may
leave it white.