Skip to content
Home » Blog » The 3 properties of Color: Hue, Value, and Intensity

The 3 properties of Color: Hue, Value, and Intensity

The 3 properties of color are:

  • Hue
  • Value &
  • Intensity

Let’s explore each one in detail.


color hue examples

HUE

  • is the purest form of a color
  • and the name of the color itself
  • monochromatic is design using a single hue

 For Example: Blue, Red,Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple are hues.

Other hues of importance are:
• Neutrals: created by different amounts of reflected light
• Earth Tones: created by mixing opposite colors

 

Neutrals and Earth Colors

Neutrals and Earth Colors

 


VALUE

  • is the lightness or darkness of a color
  • used to make objects look three dimensional
  • white, black & gray are sometimes referred to as values without hue or intensity 

Edward Law. Pencil drawing by H. M. Raeburn, 1909. Wellcome V0003431

Edward Law. Pencil drawing by H. M. Raeburn, 1909. Wellcome V0003431, via Wikimedia Commons

Example: when you add shades (dark values) and highlights or tints (light values) to a drawing to make it looks real, like it has mass and volume.

  • Tint = color mixed with white
  • Tone= color mixed with gray
  • Shade = color mixed with black

 

 

 

 

 


INTENSITY

  • is the brightness or dullness of a color
  • creates the illusion of depth
  • A color is most intense in its purest form (pure hue)
  • Intensity is the % of pure hue in a color & is measured as high or low
  • To lower the intensity of a color
    • Mix the colors opposite (complementary color)
    • Add a neutral  (white, gray, brown, or black ) to the color
Latest posts by Divya Pochimcherla (see all)