Color Systems

Isaac Newton
First to observe the action of a glass prism.
White light is broken down to a rainbow-like
spectrum.
Johann Wolfgang
von Goethe
Proposed the arrangement of 6 colors in a
circle.
Birth of the Color Wheel.
David Brewster
Responsible for a theory of light which had the primary colors of red, yellow and blue.
He also spent time researching color vision in order to study the best methods for manufacturing
the colored sunglasses that where popular at that time.
Thus Brewster made his observations using filters, a subtractive process for altering the
spectrum of light.
David Brewster
First color scientist to forcefully argue the point which later became known as metametric
substitution: three properly chosen colors of light when mixed in careful proportions are all that
are necessary to reproduce all color sensations.
David Brewster
Brewster’s observations were accurate and for that von Helmholtz later gave him credit.
Although Brewster thought he was plotting curves describing the physical composition of light,
since his theory was based on observations made by the eye, he ended up plotting the 1st
approximate trichromat color sensitivity curves.
David Brewster
Although the mode of the middle frequency curve was centered on the green part of the
spectrum, Brewster continued to maintain that this corresponded to yellow light
David Brewster
Perpendicular to the plane formed by hue and saturation is BRIGHTNESS scale divided into a
scale of “value” from 0 (black) to 10 (white). A point in the color space so defined is specified by
HUE, VALUE, and CHROMA in the form of H V/C.
Munsell Color System
Albert Munsell
Devised a practical color-notation system that held a scientific basis to serve as a teaching aid.
He aimed to create a “rational way to describe color” that would use clear decimal notation rather
than color names.
1905 – published a color notation, which has been the standard of colorimetry.
Munsell Color
System
Based on steps of equal visual perception with
any color being defined as a point within the
three dimensional Munsell color space.
The attributes of this system are Munsell Hue
(H), Munsell Value (V), Munsell Chroma (C) and
are written in a form H V/C, which is called the
Munsell Notation.
Munsell Color
System
Because of its perceptually uniform property, it
is recognized as a standard system of color
specification and has been widely used in may
fields of color science.
Munsell Color
System
Munsell modeled his system as an orb around
Whose equator runs a band of colors.
The axis of the orb is a scale of neutral gray values.
White as the North Pole and Black as the South
Pole.
Extending horizontally from the axis at each gray
value is a graduation or color progression from
neutral gray to full saturation.
Munsell Color
System
With these three defining aspects, any of
thousands of colors could be fully described.
Munsell named these aspects, or qualities: hue,
value, chroma.
Munsell Color System
HUE
Munsell defined hue as the quality by which we
distinguish one color from another.
5 Principal Colors:
Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple
5 Intermediate Colors:
Yellow-red, green yellow, blue-green, purple-blue
and red-purple.
The colors are identified as R for red, YR for
yellow-red, Y for yellow.
Munsell Color System
VALUE
Munsell defined value as the quality by which we
determine light colors from dark ones.
Value is a neutral axis that refers to the gray level
of the color, ranging from white to black.
Black = 0
White = 10
Munsell Color System
CHROMA
Is the quality that distinguishes a pure hue from a
gray shade.
The chroma axis extends from the value axis at a
right angle and the amount of chroma is noted
after the value designation.
Munsell Color System
Munsell Notation
7.5YR 7/12
Indicates a yellow-red hue tending towards
yellow with a value of 7 and a chroma of 12.
More yellow than red hue.
However, chroma is not uniform for every hue at
every value.
Munsell Color System
Munsell Notation
4B 3/10
2RP 9/12
8GY 8/8
5R 6/4
9BG 2/3
Munsell Color System
Munsell saw that full chroma for individual hues
might be achieved at very different places in the
color sphere.
Munsell Color System
In the Munsell system, reds, purple-blues and purples tend to be stronger hues that average
higher chroma values at full saturation
Munsell Color System
While yellows, greens and blues are weaker that average fullest chroma saturation relatively
closer to the neutral axis.
Munsell Color System
Munsell Color System
Ostwald Color
System
Wilhelm Ostwald
Consists of 24 hues divided into 8 groups of three:
Yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, turquoise, sea
green and leaf green.
In this lightness scale, a standard white sample = a
is linked to a standard black sample = p by 13 gray
steps, judged visually to be equal in interval (and
lettered b to o, the sequence is usually 8 steps: a, c,
e, g, i, l and p)
Ostwald Color
System
When organized three-dimensionally, each color
sample is located within a double cone.
Hues are distributed around the horizontal
circumference of the double cone, and white is at
the top and black is at its base.
Ostwald Color
System
The Ostwald color system creates a color space
based on dominant wavelength, purity and
luminance, mapping the values of hue, saturation
and brightness.
Values are done by mixing pure spectral colors at
dominant wavelength with black and white.
Prang Color
System
Louis Prang
advanced color wheel theory and developed a
color wheel which is commonly known as the
Artist's or Prang color wheel.
Is based on Brewster-Newton theory.
Prang Color
System
It deals with primary, secondary, and tertiary
colors.
There are 12 basic hues in the prang color
system, namely:
Three primaries
Three secondaries
Six intermediates.
Prang Color
System
Color Classifications
1.Primary colors – the root of all colors
a.Yellow b. Blue c. Red
2.Secondary colors – produced by the mixture of
any two primary colors.
a.Green (yellow & blue)
b.Orange (yellow & red)
c.Violet (red & blue)
Prang Color
System
3.Intermediate colors – produced by the mixture of
a neighboring secondary and primary color.
a.Yellow-green
b.Yellow-orange
c. red-orange
d. red-violet
e. blue-violet
f. blue-green
Prang Color
System
4. Tertiary colors – produced by the mixture of two
secondary colors
a.Russet or Reddish brown (violet & green)
b.Olive or Brownish yellow (orange and green)
c.Slate or Bluish gray ( violet and orange)

5.Quarternary colors – produced by mixing of two

tertiary colors.
a.Buff (russet & olive)
b.Sage (olive & slate)
c.Plum (slate & russet)