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Group 9 – The Human Remote Control - Automatic Perception – 4th semester – Medialogy – June 4, 2003.
7.3
Characteristics of a color
There are three primary characteristics, which are used to define our perception of color and
distinguish one color from another. This is hue, saturation and brightness 9.
Hue
Hue is associated with the dominant wavelength in a mixture of light waves. When we make use of
the word “color” in a daily conversion, we typically mean hue instead. In other words when we call
an object red, orange or yellow we are specifying its hue. Below is an example of the original
picture with a changed hue.
Figure 10: Hue.
Saturation
Saturation refers to the strength or purity of a color; how pale or strong the color is. The saturation
of a color is not constant, but it varies depending on the surroundings and which light the color is
seen in. Pure colors are fully saturated. A color like pink, for instance, which is a mixture of red and
white are not saturated.
Figure 11: Saturation.
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Matlin, Margaret W. and Foley, Hugh J.: “Sensation and Perception”. page 216-218.
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