Colour

Member lesson

Hue, saturation, value

Lesson 8 of 27 in Colour.

HSV Colour Theory in Art: Hue, Saturation, Value EXPLAINED! · Winged Canvas
Lesson

Three numbers that describe a colour the way a person would, rather than the way a machine stores one. HSL and HSV en.wikipedia.org are the two common arrangements, and the difference between them matters less than the habit of thinking in the three axes at all.

saturation →one hue, twenty-eight coloursvalue ↓
One hue across saturation and lightness.
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  1. Question 1, locked

    You desaturate a layout you are unsure about, and the hierarchy collapses in grey. What does the lesson say that tells you?

    • The colour was only decorating a layout that already worked
    • You were asking hue to do a job only value can do
    • The hues need more saturation to hold the hierarchy
    • Greyscale is an unfair test for a colourful layout
  2. Question 2, locked

    A palette feels muddy and nothing seems to separate. What quick fix does the lesson suggest?

    • Swap one colour for a completely different hue
    • Raise the saturation of every colour a little
    • Add a fresh accent colour to the set
    • Move one colour two steps in lightness
  3. Question 3, locked

    A brand's primary and secondary colours are very different hues but sit at the same lightness. What does the lesson warn about this palette?

    • It will fail in one-colour print and embroidery
    • It will only ever work well on dark backgrounds
    • It is perfectly safe, since the hues are so different
    • It will look far too bright on most phone screens

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