The ultimate guide to Color Theory for photographers, in just 20 minutes. Use Color harmonies.

Summary

This video script delves into the science and theory of color, emphasizing the importance of understanding color rules before breaking them for creative expression. It explores how colors influence emotions, with examples like red signifying danger and yellow symbolizing happiness. The speaker discusses the RGB and CMY color models, their differences, and their applications in digital and traditional art. Color harmonies, saturation, luminance, and the psychological impact of warm and cool tones are also covered. Practical advice includes choosing outfits and props wisely, and using Lightroom for color correction and enhancement to achieve a balanced and visually appealing final image.

Takeaways

• 🎨 **Foundation in Color Theory**: Understand the science and rules of color before experimenting to build a strong creative foundation.
• 🌈 **Color Impact on Emotions**: Colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple elicit different emotional responses, affecting how viewers engage with art.
• 🖌 **Artistic Expression**: Color is essential for giving life, character, and unique styles to images, making it a fundamental aspect of artistic expression.
• 📈 **Understanding Color Wheels**: Knowing the difference between RGB (digital) and CMY(K) (print) color models is crucial for accurate color mixing and balance.
• 👔 **Practical Application**: Invest in clothing and props with pleasing tones that work in various environments to enhance color harmony in photography.
• 🌟 **Color Intensity**: The intensity of colors can be manipulated through adjustments in saturation and luminance to create different moods and feelings.
• 🔄 **Color Harmony**: Utilize color harmonies like analogous, monochromatic, triadic, complimentary, and others to create balanced and visually appealing images.
• 📸 **Real-world Application**: Apply color theory in real-world photography by considering the environment, outfits, and props to create cohesive color palettes.
• 💡 **Editing with Intent**: Use editing software like Lightroom to adjust and balance colors, enhancing the visual impact and emotional resonance of photographs.
• 🔄 **Balance and Dominance**: Achieve a balanced color composition by distributing colors in a way that one color dominates while others provide accent and visual rest.

Q & A

What is the importance of understanding color theory in art and photography?

Understanding color theory is crucial as it provides a scientific foundation that artists and photographers can build upon to enhance their creative side. It helps in unlocking the potential of colors to give life, character, and unique styles to images, and it's essential to master the rules before experimenting with them.

Why is it beneficial to know the rules of color theory before breaking them?

Knowing the rules of color theory before breaking them provides a solid foundation that allows for more informed and effective creative decisions. It ensures that the artist has a clear understanding of how colors work together, which can lead to more impactful and intentional art.

How does the speaker suggest one should approach learning color theory?

The speaker suggests learning color theory by first understanding the scientific aspects and the 'why' behind color interactions. They recommend studying the theory and proven principles used by artists and photographers to create timeless art.

What role do colors play in influencing human emotions according to the script?

Colors significantly impact human emotions. For instance, red is associated with danger or vibrancy, orange with happiness, yellow with brightness, green with calm and nature, blue with calming effects, and purple with a deep and calming feeling.

What is the difference between RGB and CMY color models as explained in the script?

The RGB color model is used in digital media like computers and Lightroom, where mixing all colors results in white and increasing brightness. In contrast, the CMY model is used in paint mixing, where mixing all colors results in black. This difference is crucial when working with colors in digital editing versus traditional art.

How do warm and cool colors affect the visual perception in photography?

Warm colors, which are on the left side of the color wheel, hold more visual intensity and energy, making them appear closer and more forward in an image. Cool colors, on the right side, recede and are often used in the background to create depth.

What are color harmonies and why are they important in creating a balanced image?

Color harmonies are combinations of colors that work well together. They are important because they contribute to the overall balance and visual appeal of an image. Different harmonies, such as analogous, complementary, triadic, and others, create different moods and effects.

How can one practically apply color theory in photography and editing?

Practically applying color theory involves choosing outfits and props with pleasing tones, understanding the RGB and CMY color wheels for editing and shooting respectively, and balancing the intensity, saturation, and luminance of colors in an image. Using tools like Lightroom to adjust and enhance colors can also help achieve a desired color palette.

What is the significance of the 60-30-10 rule in color balancing as mentioned in the script?

The 60-30-10 rule in color balancing refers to the proportion of dominant, secondary, and accent colors in a composition. It suggests that a dominant color should make up 60% of the image, a secondary color 30%, and an accent color 10% to create a balanced and visually pleasing composition.

How can understanding color theory improve one's photography or art?

Understanding color theory can improve one's photography or art by providing the knowledge to create more compelling and balanced compositions. It allows artists to intentionally use color to guide the viewer's eye, evoke emotions, and enhance the overall aesthetic and mood of their work.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Understanding Color Theory for Creative Expression

The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding color theory to enhance creativity in art and photography. They suggest mastering the rules of color before experimenting with them. The paragraph delves into the emotional impact of colors, such as red being vibrant and dangerous, orange being happy, and blue being calming. The speaker also touches on the practical application of color theory in photography, advising on the selection of props and outfits with pleasing tones. The concept of Hue, Saturation, and Luminance is introduced, and the difference between RGB and CMY color models is explained, highlighting their relevance to digital and traditional art mediums.

05:02

🌈 Exploring Color Relationships in Photography

This section discusses the complementary nature of colors, particularly in the context of RGB and CMY color models. The speaker clarifies that while green complements red in the real world, cyan is its complement in the RGB model used in digital editing software like Lightroom. The importance of considering warmth and coolness in colors is highlighted, with warm colors being more visually intense and advancing in an image. The paragraph also introduces color harmonies such as analogous, monochromatic, triadic, complementary, split complementary, and square, each offering different visual effects and applications in photography.

10:04

🖌️ Balancing Color Intensity and Saturation in Imagery

The speaker focuses on the balance of color in images, discussing the dominance of one color and the use of accents to provide visual rest. They explain the concept of color intensity and how a 60% dominant color should be of lower saturation or luminance to allow the subject or accent color, which has higher intensity, to stand out. The importance of color placement in an image to guide the viewer's eye is also covered, with warm colors often placed in the foreground and cool colors in the background to create depth and interest.

15:06

👗 Practical Application of Color Theory in Outfits and Props

This paragraph discusses the practical application of color theory in choosing outfits and props for photography. The speaker suggests using presets in editing software like Lightroom to enhance color harmony and balance. They also mention the importance of understanding how to manipulate colors to achieve a cohesive look in a collection of images. The paragraph concludes with advice on how to use color to frame and direct the viewer's attention within an image, creating a more pleasing and balanced composition.

20:07

💡 Enhancing Image Cohesion Through Color Editing

The final paragraph emphasizes the role of editing in enhancing the color balance and harmony of photographs. The speaker suggests using Lightroom to adjust colors that were not achievable in-camera, such as pushing skin tones or adjusting the intensity of other colors to complement the dominant color in the image. They also encourage viewers to explore color theory further to develop a unique style and understand how to manipulate colors effectively in both shooting and post-processing.

Keywords

💡Color Theory

Color theory is a set of principles that guide how colors are combined and used in design and art. In the video, it's discussed as a foundational knowledge that artists and photographers need to master before they can effectively use color to create impactful visuals. The script mentions that understanding color theory allows for a deeper exploration of one's creative side and is essential for creating art that is visually appealing and timeless.

💡Hue

Hue refers to the pure color that defines a color's identity, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. The script explains that hues make up the color wheel and are the basis for understanding how different colors relate to each other. In photography, the choice of hues can significantly impact the mood and emotion conveyed by an image.

💡Saturation

Saturation is the intensity or purity of a color. A highly saturated color is vivid, while a less saturated color appears more muted. In the video, saturation is discussed in the context of adjusting the mood of an image; a more saturated color can make an image pop, while a less saturated color can provide a calming effect.

💡Luminance

Luminance, also known as brightness, is the perception of the amount of light that a color reflects or emits. The script describes how adjusting luminance can alter the mood of an image, with brighter colors often appearing more intense and attracting attention, while darker colors can recede and provide a sense of calm.

💡Color Wheel

The color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their hue, which helps artists and designers understand how colors relate to each other. The video script mentions the importance of studying the color wheel to understand complementary colors and how they can be used to create harmonious color schemes in photography.

💡Complementary Colors

Complementary colors are pairs of colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. They are used to create contrast and visual interest. The video explains that while in the real world, one might think of red and green as complementary, in digital editing systems like Lightroom, which use the RGB color model, red's complementary color is cyan, not green.

💡RGB and CMYK

RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) are color models used in digital and print media, respectively. The video script highlights the difference between these models, particularly how mixing all colors results in white in RGB (used in digital editing like Lightroom) and black in CMYK (used in paint mixing), which is crucial for understanding color balance in different contexts.

💡Color Harmonies

Color harmonies refer to the rules and principles for combining colors that create a pleasing, balanced, or intentional visual effect. The script discusses various types of color harmonies, such as analogous, monochromatic, triadic, complementary, and more, each providing a different aesthetic and emotional impact in photography.

💡Warm and Cool Colors

Warm colors (like red, orange, and yellow) are associated with energy, intensity, and a sense of closeness, while cool colors (like blue and green) are seen as calming and receding. The video emphasizes the strategic use of warm and cool colors to guide the viewer's eye and create depth in an image.

💡Color Intensity

Color intensity refers to how strong or weak a color appears. The video script explains that the intensity of a color can be adjusted through its saturation and luminance to create a balanced composition. For instance, a dominant color might be of lower intensity to allow other colors to stand out and create a harmonious visual.

💡Visual Weight

Visual weight is the perceived importance or吸引力 of an element in a composition. The script discusses how colors with higher saturation and luminance have more visual weight and can draw the viewer's attention. Understanding visual weight is crucial for directing the viewer's eye within an image and creating a balanced composition.

Highlights

Understanding the science behind color is crucial for unlocking creativity in art and photography.

Mastering the rules of color theory is essential before experimenting with them.

Color is fundamental in giving life, character, and unique styles to images.

Studying color theory early can accelerate the development of one's creative skills.

Colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple have distinct emotional impacts.

Adjusting saturation and luminance can significantly alter the mood conveyed by colors.

Investing in versatile clothing with pleasing tones can enhance color harmony in photography.

Hue, saturation, and luminance are key components of color theory.

RGB and CMY color models differ, impacting how colors mix and appear in digital and physical media.

Understanding the complementary colors in the RGB color model is vital for color balancing in digital editing.

Warm colors tend to advance visually in an image, drawing more attention than cool colors.

Color harmonies such as analogous, monochromatic, triadic, and complementary are important for creating balanced images.

Balancing color intensity is crucial for creating visually appealing and balanced compositions.

Editing software like Lightroom is essential for fine-tuning color balance and enhancing the visual impact of images.

Using presets in Lightroom can help achieve a cohesive color palette across a series of images.

Practical application of color theory involves selecting outfits, props, and understanding how to balance colors in-camera and post-production.

The speaker offers further in-depth tutorials on color theory and its application in Lightroom for advanced learning.

Transcripts

this is what I know about color after

studying it for 5 years so knowing the

theory and the why behind things so I

like to think of it as there's a level

of science that you need to know to

unlock and build upon your creative side

so at least understand or Master the

rules before you decide to break them

because you need a foundation to use

your creative side and then create art

and travel the world and I just

personally love color I think almost

every artist does this is a really

exciting topic to dive really deep into

because it's where you give life it's

where you give character it's where you

give unique styles to images I think

there's a lot of Science and why and

reasoning behind photography and

creativity earlier you learn this Theory

and and the science the quicker you can

get into exploring your creative side

improving your creative side at least

you want to know why it's not looking

good at least in you can start to

connect the dots on all this theory

proven Theory over many many years of

these artists these painters these

photographers that have used these

principles to create art that um lasts

and this Timeless this these rules to

color that everyone needs to at least

understand before they play with it how

they like so this video is going to be

broken into a few sections we'll go

deeper and deeper about understanding

color and the roles it plays in uh

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photography so how do these colors

impact us what Sudan colors do to

people's uh emotions we have red orange

yellow green blue and purple red is like

a very dangerous or vibrant color orange

is very happy yellow is very bright

green is

very calm nature blue is very calming as

well and purple can be it feels very

deep and calming and then there's black

and there's white so black and white

black can be kind of luxurious same with

white can be very luxurious can be a

little bit evil feeling where white can

be more of a vibrant color but I really

think all these colors can move the mood

so much if you just uh mute them a

little bit or desaturate darken and deep

them in terms of luminance or saturation

down or up the saturation and up the

luminance and you'll get a very

different feeling so don't feel

constrained by these colors but it does

play a role I think color theory and

stuff the biggest thing is maybe the

props and the outfits that are chosen in

the shots so invest in clothing that

works in multiple environments and is

has pleasing tones and then if and doubt

go with black and then I and blue

jeans whenever you're referring to color

there is H saturation and luminance and

temperature so Hue is the color so we

got red orange

yellow green

blue and purple so all the Hues make up

the color wheel with Scarlet maroon all

these different colors Amber all in

between these colors but there's a bit

of a Twist to all this because there's

two color wheels so so one is RGB and

the other is C ym so RGB is what

computers Lightroom users and then cym

is painted

mixing colors for example so one of the

biggest differences is if you mix all

the colors using RGB the computer system

you get white colors become brighter

until they become white and then if

you're painting for example these colors

mix them all together you'll get black

so it's a bit of a really random twist

um that you have to think about when

working with colors but I'll explain why

that's not the biggest issue and how to

get around that RGB combine all your

colors and you'll get white and then as

you can see on the crossover of these

colors this is how colors mix this is

how it ends up giving us the ability to

create any color we want so that's why

over the last couple of years I've been

really encouraging people to download a

color wheel study the color wheel so red

green and blue and then red green and

blue gives us the ability to make any

color we want so where this can trip you

up is red is complimentary to Green but

if you you look at the RGB color wheel

across from Reed is cyan and not green

so you might not realize re uh green is

complimentary to red but in Lightroom if

you're mixing colors working trying to

balance colors create new colors

everything you need to work in Lightroom

you're not going to be working with

green and red to balance out you're

going to be working with red and cyan to

balance out for example in the curves

here you are adding in the color or you

are subtracting that color because they

are opposite in the RGB color wheel it's

not super super crucial because uh cyan

is still very very complimentary to R

it's just green is also there's a lot of

leeway when creating compelling color

palettes so how I see it is when you're

working in Lightroom creating the colors

balancing colors you need to be thinking

RGB cuz that's how you're going to

balance the colors and then when you're

out shooting in the room real world or

the end result of your edit you want to

be thinking C color wheel so picking

colors for the real world um C because

they are complimentary but balancing

working towards those colors mixing

getting the right color correcting

colors you is RGB cuz that's what

Lightroom uses and then the luminance

and the saturation is the brightness of

that color and as it says

saturation so we also have warm and cold

colors I think a lot of people

underestimate warmth in your image and

the colors you choose so so we're

basically just chopping our color wheel

in half with Blues on the right and warm

colors on the left the reason this is so

important is because the warm colors

hold a lot more visual uh intenseness

energy they really Advance forward in

the image so anything on the warm side

is going to be much more it appears

closer and further and comes out of the

image more than the cooler tones a very

good technique people do is read in the

foreground and then the cooler tones and

the background so it doesn't have to be

red but any of the warmer tones

generally they're very it's very good

placing them in the foreground or right

by the subject and then leting them the

cooler tones fall back a lot more visual

attention goes towards the warmer

colors and that brings us to the next

point which is the harmonies and this is

the combination of colors which is I

think much more important okay so here

we are in color. adobe.com so we can

play with the color palettes in here as

you can see we've got analogous

monochromatic Triad complimentary split

complementary and square and compound so

analogous as all the colors are on the

same side of the color wheel I really

like this one it's probably one of the

easiest ones to do it's there's a lot of

it in nature my best tip is when you're

out shooting and you want to create nice

colors it's just very simply wear the

color say your outfit same as the

environment and you'll quite likely end

up with a color palette like this uh I

really love chromatic again if you just

wear the same color as the environment

you might end up with a color palette

like this so yeah so just different

shades of the same color Okay brightness

and then we've got Triad so this

is so this is a very

balanced image in color so so for

example this photo I took has very

balanced colors because it was sunset a

lot of orange person's wearing orange

there's a lot of green in the image a

lot of blue in the image so

complimentary orange and teal most

common yellow and blue and then we've

got green and red and then we've also

like I was sort of mentioning before we

got orange and teal but Reed is still

very complimentary to teal getting into

a yellow uh green I mean uh split

complimentary can look really nice

as well gives you a little bit of three

color split like this is a good example

of you do have leeway you can sort of go

to a color to the left a color a little

to the right um in terms of balancing

making appealing colorless Square will

give you a very balanced look as well so

analogous can give you a very calming

feeling to your photos it's very colors

aren't competing with each other whereas

say the complimentary color palettes

these are very eye-catchy there's a lot

of contrast of color between the two

colors so it's great for movies

advertisements when you really want to

make a striking image same with split

complimentary and then uh Square Triad

is the these will give you a feeling of

balance in your image and monochromatic

can give a very calming balance of color

as well

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and this stuff's really nice to know but

it is a little bit more complex to

actually play this out in real life into

your photos so maybe in Photoshop you

will just hard change that color into

the complimentary color if there's solid

colors but a lot of hotels a lot of

architecture a lot of interior a lot of

places have already done this color

palette for you and what's Mo most of

the time is what is what's up to the

photographer is the outfit and props and

but also in street photography you would

want to time these color pets as

well balancing your colors is just as

important as the colors you choose so

brighter a color is like more chroma in

the color which is very eye catchy and

intense for the eye where uh a less

saturated darker tone is visual rest or

like it's calming to the eye

that's how you would pick what sort of

saturation you want so balancing your

colors not only do you have to have the

right type of color the right huee of

color to complement other colors but you

also it's the amount within that image

that will create balance so generally

there's about a 70 20% and then a 10% or

25% and a 5% and that split of color

gives dominance to one color and then it

is just a nice balance of the last 30%

because a 50/50 color split can be very

jarring very harsh but that's maybe what

you're going for painters for example

have it a bit easier because they they

have complete control over their

colors yo I'm doing a video on color

theory so readed and uh cyan

complimentary

colors I don't know what that one's

saying either I don't know

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so colors have different

intensities depending on their

saturation luminance and warmth and what

they're complimentary to so you have a

60% color that is dominant that sort of

like sets the scene or frames the image

and then you have a 30% which is

commonly like the subject the content of

the the photo and then uh 10% 5% which

is called an accent which sort of gives

visual rest to the image because if you

just got two colors it can be kind of

jarring on the eyes it can be intense it

just sort of gives visual rest with a

nice balance of color so yeah just got

to release that visual tension with just

a a drop of another color so you don't

want the color that is 60% of your image

to be too dominant and overdo the other

colors so you want the main color the

most dominant color to be of less

saturation or less luminant so it's

dimmer it's it has less intensity

compared to the next color so the

subject or the accent to balance them

out if they're of the same intensity

they're out of balance so we need to

bring down the intensity of the color

that makes up about 60% and then the

axent or the subject has a higher amount

of Luminosity brightness maybe

saturation and then that balances out

the other tones so the brightness and

Luminosity has more visual weight yeah

yeah so lower saturation visual rest and

more chroma or

Luminosity saturation more intenseness

balance those out Le there's more visual

weight to a bright brighter saturated

image and a calmer lower saturated color

comes down the visual and let the eye

guide be directed to those more intense

colors or frames the more intense colors

patterns is worth mentioning so quite

often colors aren't solid if you have

the matching kind of pattern to the

matching kind of pattern of and your

image doesn't always have to be color

but that is also really nice technique I

see

so these are obviously not hard set

rules you can have two color harmonies

going on in the same image if they're

balanced right so for example we've got

this one here so what we've got is the

greens are very not of high Luminosity

quite lower less intense than the

subject here so we've got the

complimentary colors of all the GRE scen

sitting the scene taking up you know

that that 70 60 majority of the image

and then the green is very nicely

complimented with uh the most other

obvious color here which is red

complimenting and then the read is of a

higher saturation and Luminosity so it

it really really Pops from this image

and we've obviously got really nice

leading lines down here too but I'd say

the green and red is the complimentary

going on here and then as you can see

here we have Triads so we've got the

balance of red yellow and blue right and

where the subject is so a nice balance

of color all grouped together right

there with the subject is so it's really

cool seeing like great composition and

photography and

then great composition and photography

but then also on top of that the use of

color on top of that to help composition

guide the I frame just creates a more

pleasing looking image and I think

sometimes people wouldn't notice this

sort of

stuff so to try to sum up everything put

it all into one image everything we've

gone over for your for your shots you

want to decide whether you want warm or

cool tones and then you want what color

do you want so maybe you want red and

then you want the right compliment

colors to work with that with that color

so the right Harmony and then you want

the right

saturation luminance intensity of those

colors so that you've got the right

amount in each of those harmonies the 6D

3d10 roughly speaking um balance of

those three colors or the all those

colors and then on top of that they are

placed in the right area of your image

to help compose the image image with

warm colors at the front of your image

or where the subject is and cooler tones

where you don't want the eye to go as as

much so how to practically do this is

also just an editing using presets so

presets are intended just to give a

little bit of a monochromatic look a

complimentary split to balance the image

obviously want to shoot with the right

colors but then you can also push them

and help those colors come out as like

you can push your skin tones to have a

bit more red or a bit more yellow and

then you can push your greens to to

complement those colors so you can work

in Lightroom and just increase what you

could do in camera but then take it a

bit further with understanding color so

you can maximize these color palettes

just manually putting them into the

environment into the image rather than

shooting them whatever the dominant

color in the image is bring that out and

focus on that color and what will happen

if you just focus on adding the right

amount of color you'll be surprised how

just a small amount of color uh when you

zoom out and look at your feed looks

very cohesive really Blends your all

your images together in a really

surprising way has a really big impact

so there's a lot not in your control

when you're trying to balance these C

these colors in camera because you can't

sometimes change the amount of blue in

the sky but so that's why Lightroom is

so important work in Lightroom to get

these pleasing effects to your images to

the visual eye so just how Lightroom

works so you can actually use Lightroom

and then you have to understand color

and then you actually have to understand

these uh harmonies and how to balance

color what makes color looked balanced

what makes it looks nice example lots of

warmth and then just a little bit of

teal it's almost monochromatic but then

you've got that hint of that uh 10%

color just a light teal and it really uh

makes that image look very much more

balance so in this video we've covered a

lot of theory background but there is so

much more to it in terms of practically

how do you actually do it how do you get

these color palettes that look natural

pick colors remove colors bling colors

so that's what I've been teaching last

couple of years along with aund other

photographers breaking down the colors

like so many of them are using color in

a very different way so you want to use

shooting and editing in combination with

each other to achieve the style and look

you want so I've done another breakdown

on color but more related to Lightroom

so you guys can go check that one out

just sign up and it's for free about

color and the curves related to

Lightroom and not so much shooting like

we have in this one and then that way

you can slowly work your way towards

getting your own style so yeah that's it

for this one and I will catch you in the

next one