Colors on the Web

Hue is somewhat synonymous to what we usually refer to as "colors". Red, green, blue, yellow, and orange are a few examples of different hues. The different hues have different wavelengths in the spectrum.

 

The value is a measurement of the brightness of a color. The brighter a color is, the higher is its value and the more light it emits. For instance, a vivid yellow is brighter than dark blue, therefore its value is higher than that of the blue. A good way to see the difference in the values of colors is to look at the corresponding grey scale version.

These are terms to describe how a color varies from its original hue. If white is added, the lighter version of the color is called a tint of the color. On the other hand, if black is added the, darker version of the color is called a shade of the color.

Saturation can also be called a color's intensity. It is a measurement of how different from pure grey the color is. Saturation is not really a matter of light and dark, but rather how pale or strong the color is. The perceived saturation of a color is not constant, but it varies depending on the surroundings and what light the color is seen in.