chróma

Chróma is a term used in several Central European languages, including Polish and Czech, to refer to the perceptual property of colorfulness. In English-language color science, the closest standard term is chroma (or saturation). The diacritic on the word reflects its pronunciation in those languages and its use in local technical literature.

In color theory, chroma describes how vivid or intense a color appears, as distinct from its hue (which color family) and lightness or brightness. It can be quantified as the magnitude of the color’s chromatic components in a given color space. For example, in CIE L*a*b*, chroma is C* = sqrt(a*^2 + b*^2). Different color models treat chroma and saturation in related but not identical ways.

Applications of chroma measurements appear in graphic design, printing, photography, and digital imaging. Color management workflows use chroma alongside hue and lightness to describe color palettes, ensure perceptual uniformity, and guide adjustments to achieve desired vividness. In film and television, chroma-related concepts underlie color grading and the selection of color ranges for on-screen content.

Notes: the spelling chróma may appear in regional texts, but most English sources prefer chroma or saturation. The term is closely related to, but not identical with, colorfulness, which measures perceived difference from grayscale rather than a specific color vector magnitude.