The Ultimate Guide to

Understanding Hue, Tint, Tone

and Shade
We often hear people say things like, 'What a beautiful blue hue.' or
'What shade of green do you like?' or 'Which tone do you prefer?' or
'That tint is too light.'

Have you ever wondered what exactly they mean by these color terms? Let
me clarify the difference between them. Once you understand the
difference, you'll never be unsure again. You'll also be able to describe or
mix a color much more easily.

Hue vs Color
To begin, most people use the terms Hue and Color interchangeably. It's very
common, even with artists and designers to assume the two mean the same
thing.
Generally speaking they sort of do, but technically they don't.

The comment above sounds like one of those mind-bending riddles. In fact,
the difference between them is actually very simple.

When you use color in any project, it's super helpful to talk or think about
each one clearly.
 COLOR is the general term we use to describe every hue, tint, tone
or shade we see. White, Black and Gray are often referred to as a
color.
  A HUE refers to the dominant Color Family of the specific color
we're looking at. White, Black and Grey are never referred to as a
Hue.

Hue refers to the origin of the color we see. Think of the Hue as one of the
six Primary and Secondary colors. In other words, the underlying base color
of the mixture you're looking at is either Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue
or Green.
In the photo at the top of the page, you obviously know the Hues right away.
But what about more complex colors we want to duplicate in our artwork or
projects?

How to Talk Like a Color Pro

What if a color is truly an in-between Tertiary such as a Yellow/Green where
neither Yellow nor Green dominate? Obviously you could describe it as a
Yellow/Green Hue and you wouldn't be wrong.
Before long you'll find it easy to identify the Hue more specifically. You'll begin
to drill down and impress yourself, by describing the color something like
this:
'The color has a Yellow Hue, leaning strongly toward Green.'
Indeed this clarifies that the mixture began with the Primary Yellow, and
gradually added the Secondary color Green.
Neutrals also contain a Hue depending on their originating color. On the other
hand, pure Black, pure White and Pure Grey do not contain a Hue.
Here are a few examples of how you can look at a color closely to decide
which is the Dominant Hue. One you've established this in your mind,
it becomes much easier to recreate the color or mix it further.
 Burgundy = RED

 Pink = RED
 Navy = BLUE
 Rust = ORANGE
 Cool Gray = It might be BLUE or even PURPLE or GREEN - Really
look at it.
 Warm Brown = It might be ORANGE but it might be RED or
YELLOW - Really look at it.

Painting Tips for HUES

* When you want to mix a specific color, begin by observing it really
closely. Try to see the Hue Family it originates from. To this end, you will
have a clear beginning point to start mixing.
* When you buy paint in an art store, some of the colors will be labeled
with the word HUE. Don't be fooled into thinking these are pure Primary
or pure Secondary colors. It's a manufacturer misnomer. The 'HUE
Colors' are mixed colors that imitate a pure Hue, but never mix well.

Defining and Describing a TINT

A Tint is sometimes also called a Pastel. But to be precise, Color Theory
defines a True Tint as any Hue or mixture of pure colors with only White
added.
A Tint lightens the color, but it doesn't make it brighter. Even though the
color may appear brighter, in actual fact it is not. In other words, it remains
exactly the same color, only a paler version. Furthermore, even a small
amount of White added to a color, transforms it into a Tint.
Therefore a Tint can range from slightly lighter than your original color, all
the way to White with barely any of the color mixed in.

In addition, a true Tint contains no Gray.

To create a true Tint, simply add White to any individual color on the Color
Wheel or any of those pure colors mixed together.

Regardless of this Color Theory definition, artists often bend the

rules somewhat. Instead of White to mix a Tint, they use other pale neutral
pigments such as Titanium or Titan Buff. These pigment 'Whites'
can produce beautiful complex Tints.

Painting Tips for TINTS

* To mix pale Tints, always begin with your White paint. From there,
very gradually mix in the tiniest specks of your color until you achieve
the Tint you want.
* Artists often add a tiny touch of White to a pure pigment. This help to
accentuate the mass tone of the color making it appear brighter.

* When you mix White with any color, be careful and mix extremely
gradually. For example, Bright Red can very quickly turn into an ugly
Pink you don't like.

What Exactly is a TONE?

Color Theory defines a True Tone as any Hue or mixture of pure colors
with only Gray added. To be precise, this definition considers Gray as truly
neutral. In other words, there are no additional pigments in the Gray other
than White plus Black.
A neutral mixture of Gray, no matter how light or dark, will tone down the
intensity of any color. As a general warning, be careful with how much Gray
you mix in. Too much Gray dulls the color so much, it becomes impossible to
get the brilliance back.
Toned colors are generally considered more pleasing to the eye. They are
complex, subtle and sophisticated. That's because bright pure colors are
most often associated with children.
Generally speaking, almost every color we see in our day-to-day world has
been toned to some degree. In the photo below, look at the colors
themselves without thinking of them as wool. Almost every bundle is
a slightly Toned version of the original pure colors. Notice how nearly
every variation appears to contain a little Gray, that is either a light or dark
Value.

Painting Tips for TONES

* There's an easy way to mix both light and dark Tones quickly while
painting. Specifically, pre-mix Light, Medium and Dark Neutral Grays
from White plus Black. Store them in small food containers to have them
on hand all the time.
*Artist always love to bend the rules. An experienced painter might
make a Gray using Paynes Gray plus Titan Buff. It's true this will
produce a gorgeous Gray. But be extremely careful. Mixtures like this
contain Neutral Base Hues such as Blue or Orange. Therefore, when
mixed with other paints, colors can get muddy very quickly.
* It's always a great idea to experiment with the color mixtures before
you paint. This helps you understand the potential of each color while
avoiding unintended muddy colors in your artwork.

What is the definition of a SHADE?

Color Theory defines a True Shade as any pure Hue or mixture of pure
colors with only Black added. In other words, it contains absolutely no
White or Gray.

A Shade darkens the color. It remains the same Hue only a darker
version. As has been noted above, even a small amount of White or Gray
added to a color, transforms it into a Tone.
Therefore a Shade can range from slightly darker than your original color,
all the way to nearly Black with barely any of the color mixed in.
As you can see below, the colors in the umbrella have been shaded by the
lack of sunlight. However, if you wanted to paint this, you would add a tiny
touch of black to each color.
 Painting Tips for SHADES
* When you mix a Shade, begin with the color itself. Then add your
Black a tiny speck at a time. A little goes a long way!
* Again, many artist like to bend the rules. Many experienced painters
do not use Black at all. Instead they create Shade mixtures with Neutral
Dark pigments such as Paynes Gray or even Burnt Sienna. These
mixtures are gorgeous and complex. However, unless you've pre-
tested your paint mixtures, colors can get muddy very quickly.

Let's Review What You Learned

 In painting, the word COLOR is the general term for everything we
see. However, the word HUE refers to the brightest 6 - 12
pure, unmixed pigment families on the Color Wheel.
 In Color Theory a TINT any Hue with White added. The color
remains the same only lighter.
 In Color Theory, a TONE is any pure Hue with Neutral Gray
added. The color remains the same only less vibrant.The Values
can range from very light to very dark.
 In Color Theory, a SHADE is any pure Hue with Black added. The
color remains the same only darker.