Saturation

Saturation refers to the perceived difference between one colour and another in terms of its purity and vividness. The hue of a vivid colour appears to be at full strength and can leave an after-image of its complementary colour as an observer looks away.

  • A fully saturated colour appears bright and vibrant because it has a single strong dominant hue.
  • A freshly cut tomato is a good example of a saturated colour with a strong red hue.
  • A saturated colour is a unique spectral colour produced by a single wavelength (or a narrow band of wavelengths) of light.
  • A fully saturated colour (100%) is the purest version of a hue.
  • Unsaturated colours (0-10%) can appear:
    • Misty or milky the nearer they are to white.
    • Dull and washed out as their hue disappears leaving achromatic grey tones.
  • A fully saturated colour appears bright and vibrant because it has a single strong dominant hue.
    • A freshly cut tomato is a good example of a saturated colour with a strong red hue.
    • A saturated colour is a unique spectral colour produced by a single wavelength (or a narrow band of wavelengths) of light.
    • A fully saturated colour (100%) is the purest version of a hue.
    • Unsaturated colours (0-10%) can appear:
      • Misty or milky the nearer they are to white.
      • Dull and washed out as their hue disappears leaving achromatic grey tones.
    • The hue of a vivid colour appears to be at full strength and can leave an after-image of its complementary colour as an observer looks away.
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About the HSB colour model

The HSB colour model is an additive colour model used to mix light (subtractive colour models are used to mix pigments and inks).

  • The main difference between the HSB colour model and the RGB colour model is how colours are represented and managed in software and applications.
  • The HSB model represents colours based on hue, saturation, and brightness, whereas the RGB model mixes red, green, and blue light to create colours.
  • HSB is popular because it provides a user-friendly way to select and modify colours when using applications like Adobe Creative Cloud for design, photography, or web development.
  • On HSB colour wheels, saturation typically increases from the centre towards the edge.

In the HSB colour model:

  • Hue refers to the perceived difference between colours and is usually described using names such as red, yellow, green, or blue.
    • Hue can be measured as a location on an HSB colour wheel and expressed as a degree between 0 and 360.
  • Saturation refers to the vividness of a colour compared to an unsaturated colour.
    • Saturation is measured between a fully saturated colour (100%) and an unsaturated colour (0%)that appear either:
      • Dull and washed out until all colour disappears, leaving only a monochromatic grey tone (0%).
      • Misty or milky the nearer they are to white.
    • On many HSB colour wheels, saturation decreases from the edge to the centre.
  • Brightness refers to the perceived difference in the appearance of colours under ideal sunlit conditions compared to poor lighting conditions where a hue’s vitality is lost.
    • Brightness can be measured as a percentage from 100% to 0%.
    • As the brightness of a fully saturated hue decreases, it appears progressively darker and achromatic.
Related diagrams

Each diagram below can be viewed on its own page with a full explanation.

References