Hues

Hues refer to the aspect of color that allows us to distinguish colors by family, such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. In color theory hue is one of the three fundamental attributes of color, along with brightness (value or lightness) and saturation (chroma). Hue describes the perceptual attribute that places a color on a circular color wheel and is typically described by its name or by its position in a color space, usually expressed as an angle in degrees on the wheel.

On digital displays and in design, hue is often represented as an angle in HSL or HSV color spaces; 0° and 360° correspond to red, 60° to yellow, 120° to green, 180° to cyan, 240° to blue, and 300° to magenta. Hue is independent from brightness and saturation, though illumination and surrounding colors can influence perception. Hue can differ between additive color models (light) and subtractive models (pigments); in additive systems, hues arise from mixing light wavelengths, while in subtractive systems, mixing pigments alters the perceived hue by absorbing certain wavelengths.

Practically, hue is used to categorize and communicate color, to create color harmonies (analogous, complementary, triadic), and to specify palettes in art, design, and digital media. Cultural and linguistic factors can affect hue naming, and perceptual hue can shift under different lighting conditions, a phenomenon related to color constancy. The concept of hue is foundational in color science, art, and visual media.