Basics of Color

1Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

Color Color - perceptual characteristic of light Light is composed of many colors We see - colors of the visual spectrum:

red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet

Objects absorb certain wavelengths & reflect others back to the viewer

We perceive these wavelengths as color Colors – described using hue,

saturation & brightness (lightness) or HSL

2Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

Hue Hue is the wavelength within the visible-light

spectrum at which the energy output from a source is greatest

Refer to the set of "pure" colors within a color space

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

Hue - quality that normally identifies a color such as red, green, and blue.

3Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

Saturation (chroma) Saturation is how pure hue is The saturation 'range' goes from vivid to dull to

grayscale (the absence of hue) A hue that is 100% saturated would be vivid As the hue is desaturated, it will become duller

and if further desaturated, it will eventually become grayscale

A saturated color looks clear and bright; an unsaturated color appears pale, muddy, or dull.

4Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

Lightness/Brightness Lightness defines a range from dark (0%) to fully

illuminated (100%) Brightness is the relative lightness or darkness of a

particular color, from black (no brightness) to white (full brightness)

Lightness and brightness are grouped into a single term called value, although the lightness and value terms are commonly used interchangeably

The value of a color is distinguished by its relationship to a scale of white to black

5Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

HSL

6Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants

A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 7

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 8

Color description systems CIE Color model Hunter Color lab System

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 9

CIE Color model The CIE color model is a color space model created by

the International Commission on Illumination known as the Commission Internationale de l’Elcairage (CIE)

It is also known as the CIE XYZ color space or the CIE 1931 XYZ color space

First mathematically defined color spaces. Mapping system - uses tristimulus (a combination of 3

color values that are close to Red/Green/Blue) values, which are plotted on a 3D space

When these values are combined, they can reproduce any color that a human eye can perceive.

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 10

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 11

Hunter Color lab System The HunterLab system (1958) was the first to use

the opponent color theory stating that the red, green, and blue cone responses are re-mixed into opponent coders as they move up the optic nerve to the brain

L (Lightness) axis a (Red-green) axis b (Blue-yellow) axis

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 12

Technology of Food Flavorants and Colorants A.Sangamithra, Dept. of Food Technology, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, TN 13