Talk:Color theory

Structure of the artikel

This is one of the most central articles on color (beside the color article)! My proposition on it's structure is: Introduction: (Colortheory is broader than what is stated) Colortheories are theories of how we can put a system of order in the different colors we see. Colortheories make use of colormodels.

Section 1: properties of the different models Dimensions: Nowadays most colormodels are threedimensional (they are based on three properties of color) and are called colorspaces (picture of colorspace), although 2 dimensional models are in use: for example colorwheels. (picture of a wheel) Goal: Theories can be classified according to their goal (mixing, lighting, perceptual,psychophysical, ...). ...

Section 2: a list with links to all colormodels / theories preferrably somehow chronological. The models are in separate wiki artikels. Related models can be introduced. Models that have no name (early theories) maybe can be explained in ful.

Section 3: some history yet just to get the flavor; do not explain complete models (use different article). Maybe a good writer could put section 2 and 3 into 1: introducing properties through historical overview.

BartYgor 23:17, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

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'the CMY color model can more easily display a full gamut of colors than can RYB' - surely this statement is incorrect? No colour reproduction system working with a finite range of primary inks/lights etc is capable of reproducing a 'full' gamut. 87.81.240.78 12:16, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

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Under what article would one find quark color theory? Might be a good idea to link it here, possibly disambiguate.

That would be quantum chromodynamics or color charge.

Actually, one might add that to the contemporary theory section as one of the independent disciplines where new developments in color theory might arise. -SharkD 21:29, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

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Additive and Subtractive systems are NOT models. Please see Additive Color Subtractive color

Re:Merger

I'm firmly against the proposed merger of material from color circle. The color circle is a tool used in psychophysical research into visual perception, and has nothing to do with color theory, which is almost entirely connected with the arts. if it is to be merged anywhere, color circle should join color vision, not color theory. Grutness...wha? 14:24, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I would agree. Also, the redirection of "color wheel" to this page seems wrong. It would be fine if there was a color wheel on the page, but there isn't. Maybe this purpose could be served by the color circle page. Zaiken 05:10, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

Notice that that message is from 2 years ago, and there is no longer a proposal for such a merger. --jacobolus (t) 06:50, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

Another opinion

Seconded, on the same grounds. One finds a color wheel in the theory of printing and in the theory of painting, with natural media - dyes and pigments, as well as with light on a computer screen. But one finds a color circle in psychophysics. A color wheel is concerned with creating the total perceived gamut, or the best possible approximations to it, as well as providing a rationale for a color scheme; whereas a color circle is concerned with spectral color and the mechanisms of perception. Need to disambiguate the two apparently similar terms, in the body of each article. - yoyo 29 June 2005 13:36 "(UTC)

Goethe and Newton

I believe the writer has confused Goethe and Newton - Possibly getting them exactly opposite. It is my understanding that Goethe increasaed the amount of green in his wheel. This addition was due to the preponderance of green in the natural world. Goethe tends toward four primaries with green as a primary - somewhat a mixture of light and pigment.

White light

"White light is composed of the mixture of the three primary hues red, green and blue."

No, white light is (usually) a continuous spectrum. A mixture of red, green, and blue light (that is, with sharp peaks at those frequencies) can produce a metameric match to white.

Color Basis

"On the other hand, any three (or four or five or six) real "primary" colors cannot mix all the colors in any medium, and this is always true no matter which "primary" colors are chosen and no matter which medium — inks, paints, dyes, filters, phosphors, artificial lights, or monospectral lights — is used to mix the colors. In other words, all mixable "primary" colors are incomplete or imperfect."

For the sake of accuracy, it should be mentioned that this occurs if we only consider a finite number "primary" colors. If we have a continuous range of frequencies that lie in the visible range, we con construct any color. This is how the world "produces" color; however, it is not practical yet to produce continuous spectras. This may seem obvious and theoretical, but this is a page on color theory, and this paragraph is discussing the limitations of color production in a general way. I think that saying "this is always true" is misleading.

Real Color Wheel

"Dark shades of yellow, oranges, and some reds are called browns by the Real Color Wheel." What, pray tell, is a Real Color Wheel? Seems to me it should either be linked to an explanation, explained in the article, or simply removed.

In fact, on further reading, it seems there are other sections as well that could use Wikifying. -Octavo 18:16, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

Edits 08.08.06

i concur with nearly all the points raised above, and i was generally alarmed at the inaccuracies in the previous article -- especially as it quotes my web site, handprint.com, as source for the information. i have completely rewritten the page, with apologies to the previous author, in an attempt to make it less inaccurate. more graphics would probably be useful, but i leave that for another time.

i think merging this page would be counterproducive. this topic is a pillar of artistic lore, and it forms a useful contrast to more developed theories of color perception and design necessary to use modern color media. Macevoy 00:32, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

HSL not mentioned?

I'm surprised that the HSL color model is not mentioned, as it is the most compatible with the idea of color wheels. In fact, I would find a discussion of Hue, Saturation and Luminence as being central to understanding the rest of the article. -SharkD 20:35, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Unfortunately HSL is a device-dependent color space based on RGB, and is therefore not particularly useful for discussing general color mixing, or color perception. A space like Munsell or the cylindrical coordinates for CIE L*a*b* (L*C*h) would be more appropriate. --jacobolus (t) 12:21, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

New image. Correct?

The mixture of two colors can be determined by the straight line between them.

I had added this image to the 'Complementary Colors' sub-section, but removed as I'm not sure it's correct. What do you think? -SharkD 23:56, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

No, it's oversimplified, and not shown in a color space for which this is true. In CIE L*u*v* space, mixing of two colored lights would indeed have this behavior (i.e. additive color). But mixing paints or dyes is more complex, and not particularly well represented by this picture. --jacobolus (t) 01:41, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

See also section too long

The “see also” section of this article is absurdly long, and not particularly informative. The article should be expanded, and links placed in context, to obviate the need for such a list at the bottom. --jacobolus (t) 01:46, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Comment from 202.83.73.66

"I as a scientist feel that this page is competely false and should never be used ."

Moved from article – Gurch 04:43, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

202.83.73.66 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log) is just your average run-of-the-sewer vandal. Here's their contribution to Visible spectrum:

My name is Roy Grant Biv and i dont like the use of my name on the internet i think the creator of wikipedia should pay me in royalties for every person who enters this site.

In the future, you can safely just revert them back out of existence.

Atlant 11:33, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Color Contrast Image

While it may show contrasting colors, the image OpposingColors.gif is really more of a public health hazard and might cause harm to those with Photosensitive epilepsy. There wouldn't be any problem if somebody would modify it such that the colors cycle once every second or so. Right now, however, it is my position that the risks outweigh any benefits, so I am removing it from this page. BirdValiant (talk) 03:39, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Don't view if you have photosensitive epilepsy
File:OpposingColors.gif

Wikipedia is not censored for minors sir. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.136.211.15 (talk) 06:22, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

I agree with BirdValiant. Furthermore, use of animation in this case is not even necessary. There are satisfactory non-animation methods of exhibiting contrast. A static image with concentric boxes of contrasting color should suffice. SharkD (talk) 09:53, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

That image is horrible (contributes little to understanding; much to headaches), and should be removed ASAP. (also, minors have nothing to do with it) --jacobolus (t) 10:25, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Stop trying to censor wikipedia. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT CENSORED