To use color in desktop publishing we need to understand at least the basics of color theory, how color is perceived, and the different ways of representing color on screen and in print. Start with the basics of color wheels, subtractive and additive color, and RGB vs. CMYK.
Did you know that the color wheel you learned in school isn't the same as the colors used for the Web? It's not even the way colors are mixed for printing? Well, ok, same colors, just different arrangements and mixes.
Explore color wheels (not exactly what you learned in elementary school)and additive and subtractive colors.
Look at the way color is specified on screen and in print.
Find illustrated definitions for these color terms.
Tom Arah looks at CMYK and the technologies that could replace it.
Read tutorials on choosing colors, bitmaps, CYMK, and more from Ron Woolley.
J. Scruggs has a good explanation of additive color with examples.
J. Scruggs provides a good discussion of subtractive color with examples.
This color-picker wheel applet from Rich Franzen requires a browser able to handle Java. Use it to experiment with saturation, intensity, and hue. It also shows how luma is related to color. Works best in 24-bit color mode.
