Color, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade (2024)

Color, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade (1)

Many people use terms like “hue” and “color” or “tint” and “shade”interchangeably, but the terms have distinctly different meanings. Color is avery general term used to describe every hue, tint, tone, or shade we can see.Hue refers to the dominant color family.

Hue refers to the origin of the colors we can see. Primaryand Secondary colors (Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue, and Green) areconsidered hues; however, tertiary colors (mixed colors where neither color isdominant) would also be considered hues.

Tint refers to any hue or mixture of pure colors to whichwhite is added. Pastel colors are generally tinted colors. Tinted color remainsthe same color, but it is paler than the original. When mixing a tint, alwaysbegin with white paint and gradually mix in small amounts of color until you’veachieved the tint you want.

Tone is a hue or mixture of pure colors to which only pure grayis added (equal amounts of black and white). Adding gray to a color will makethe intensity much duller. Beware of mixing too much gray into a hue as it canbecome over-dulled and virtually impossible to restore the brilliance.

Shade is a hue or mixture of pure colors to which only blackis added. It contains no white or gray. Shade darkens the color, but the hueremains the same. When mixing a shade, begin with the color itself then addblack one drop at a time.

Color, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade (2)

Color, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade (2024)

FAQs

Color, Hue, Tint, Tone, and Shade? ›

Colors of the same lightness and saturation, but of different hue, are called nuances. Colors of the same hue and saturation, but of different lightness, are called tints and shades. Colors of the same hue and lightness, but of different saturation, are called tones.

What is hue tint tone and shade? ›

Tint: A hue mixed with white. This creates a bright color value. Tone: A hue mixed with gray. Tones are desaturated colors with a low chromatic intensity. Shade: A hue mixed with black.

What is the difference between color tone and tint? ›

Tinted color remains the same color, but it is paler than the original. When mixing a tint, always begin with white paint and gradually mix in small amounts of color until you've achieved the tint you want. Tone is a hue or mixture of pure colors to which only pure gray is added (equal amounts of black and white).

What are colors that are shade or tint variations of the same hue? ›

TINT: a tint is created when white is added to a pure hue or color. These colors are lighter and less intense versions of the original color. We often think of these colors as softer hues like pastels. SHADE: a shade is created when black is added to a pure hue or color.

Is all the colors tints tones and shades of a single hue? ›

Monochromatic colors are all the colors (tints, tones, and shades) of a single hue. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue, and extended using its shades, tones and tints (that is, a hue modified by the addition of black, gray (black + white) and white.

What is color shade vs tone vs hue? ›

If a hue is mixed only with white or black, it stays a pure tint or a pure shade. Once another colour or grey (black and white) is introduced, it becomes a tone. A tone is simply a combination colour or a greyed down hue, the colours "beige" or "salmon" are tones. Skin tones - think of all of those colours in a face.

What is a tone color? ›

The tone color or timbre of a musical instrument is the unique sound quality of any instrument that distinguishes it from another instrument, a quality that is not associated with pitch, rhythm, or volume.

Is grey a color or a hue? ›

Any mixed color fits into the color wheel according to the amount of red, yellow, or blue it contains. There are three neutrals: black, white, and gray. These are not true colors or hues, but are achromatic colors.

Is black a color or a shade? ›

Some consider white to be a color, because white light comprises all hues on the visible light spectrum. And many do consider black to be a color, because you combine other pigments to create it on paper. But in a technical sense, black and white are not colors, they're shades. They augment colors.

What's the different shades of tint? ›

The tint color is the color of the hue itself. Some of the most popular window tint colors are black, gray, gold, charcoal, and bronze.

Is black A hue? ›

Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.

How many hues are there? ›

The Munsell colour system specfies 100 hues in 10 groups. There are five groups for red, yellow, green, blue and purple evenly spaced around a circle, with five more groups of yellow-red, green-yellow etc. in between them.

What is hue vs tone vs shade vs value? ›

Tone indicates the lightness or darkness of a hue, known as the tonal value. In printing or graphic design, this value can be adjusted using black, white or grey. The tonal value is increased when you lighten the tone, known as adding a tint. The value is lowered when you darken the hue, known as adding a shade.

Why are black white and gray called neutrals? ›

When somebody talks about a neutral color, they usually refer to a hue that lacks color—a silent background color that doesn't compete with others. The pure neutral colors are black, brown, grey, and white. These colors are created by mixing two complementary colors.

What is a pure color one without tint or shade? ›

Hue. The hue is what we call in color theory a pure pigment. This means that it's a pure color without the addition of any tint or shade (without any white or black pigment).

What is the tint of a hue? ›

In Color Theory a TINT any Hue with White added. The color remains the same only lighter. In Color Theory, a TONE is any pure Hue with Neutral Gray added. The color remains the same only less vibrant.

What is a tint hue? ›

HUE is a pure color in its primary or secondary form. A Hue becomes a TINT when white is added to it, such as pastels. TONE is Hue to which equal amounts of black and white (gray) have been added, thus presenting as muted. SHADE is a darker form of a Hue, accomplished by adding black. Chelsea Raehl.

What is the difference between hue and undertone? ›

Masstone is the primary hue in the color, or the hue that you identify first. The color on the left has a red undertone; the color on the right has a blue undertone. Undertone is the hue or hues that make up a smaller percentage of the color. You might need a few moments and some good lighting to see them.

Is hue another word for color? ›

The noun hue means both a color and a shade of a color. Green is a hue, and turquoise is a hue of both green and blue.

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