Hue

Hue (Tint) refers to the basic color hue of an object or light, such as red, blue, green, or yellow. It is one of the three main properties of color , along with saturation and brightness .


How does Hue work in color models?

  1. HSV & HSL Color Models 🎨

    • Hue (H) determines the color and is expressed in degrees (0Β°-360Β°) on a color wheel :
      • 0Β° = Red πŸ”΄
      • 60Β° = Yellow 🟑
      • 120Β° = Green 🟒
      • 180Β° = Cyan πŸ”΅
      • 240Β° = Blue πŸ”΅
      • 300Β° = Magenta 🟣
  2. RGB & CMYK Color Models

    • Hue is independent of saturation and brightness , but is affected by the mix of red, green, and blue light values in RGB or the amount of ink in CMYK .
  3. Pantone and Printing πŸ–¨οΈ

    • In printing , hue is used to accurately reproduce colors in color coding systems such as the Pantone Matching System (PMS) .

Applications of Hue

βœ” Graphic Design & Digital Art – Determines the base color before adjusting saturation and brightness.
βœ” Photography & Film – Color correction and grading use hue to influence atmospheres.
βœ” Painting & interior design – Color combinations are composed based on hue harmonies.
βœ” Lighting technology – Smart lights like Philips Hue use hue values for color settings.


Hue vs. Saturation vs. Brightness

Characteristic Meaning Example
Hue Basic hue (red, blue, green, etc.) πŸ”΄ πŸ”΅ 🟒
Saturation How intense or saturated the color is πŸŒ‘πŸ”΅πŸ”·
Brightness How light or dark a color is βš«πŸ”΅βšͺ