Hover over the underlined concepts to read the definitions and click to see the wheel highlights.
Hues
A basic color wheel for the web's additive color mixing system typically shows millions of hues in the order of the spectrum. If primary hues of red, green, and blue light are mixed together, the result is white.
The subtractive color mixing system, such as CMYK, mixes to black. If primary hues of red, blue, and yellow pigment are mixed together, the result is black.
Saturation
Saturated hues sit on the outer edge of the wheel, while desaturated colors combine in the center, creating white light.
Value
Click this color selector to see tints, tones, and shades of each hue. Each hue can mix with black to make a shade, gray to make a tone, and white to make a tint.
Temperature
Basic hues are either warm or
cool but can appear warmer or cooler depending on their
juxtaposition or personal perceptions.
Combinations and Schemes
The typical color wheel presents these four basic combinations:
- Monochromatic
- Analogous
- Complementary
- Triad
A color scheme is a combination of colors based on the needs of a project and typically derives from a business marketing requirement, a set of photographs or artwork, or both. A variety of dark, light, warm, cool, and saturated or dull colors might be needed to support the content.