Semester 1

Chromatic and Achromatic Colours

The vividness and intensity of a colour is represented by its saturation. Depending on the
presence or absence of this saturation, colours can broadly be divided into chromatic and achromatic
colours. An achromatic colour is a one that has hues such as white, grey and black, and a chromatic
colour is a colour which has even the slightest amount of hue.

Achromatic colours (white, grey and black) have lightness but no hue or saturation. They can
be created by mixing complementary colours together. Chromatic colours, on the other hand, have
characterizing hues such as red, blue and yellow, as well as saturation, which is an attribute of
intensity, in addition to lightness. The elements of hue, lightness and saturation found in chromatic
colours are referred to as the three attributes of colour, and specific colours can be represented by
stipulating the values for each of these attributes.

* The chart shown is only an approximate display of the relationship between colours and is
not an accurate recreation. Colours also appear different depending on the viewing environment.