When people talk about the color of something, they are usually referring to the hue of that object. All of the colors of the rainbow are actually different hues in the visible spectrum of light. The different wavelengths of light reflected off of an object are responsible for these different hues.
Most people are familiar with hue through our labeling of three hues as the "primary colors": red, yellow, and blue. These three hues were chosen for rather arbitrary reasons, but their significance is that with any three different hues (red, yellow, and blue work well), one can create any other color by mixing light of these three hues. Painters have these three hues as their "primary colors" because it is easy to get very saturated versions of these hues in paint, and with them they can mix paints of other hues.
Likewise, with three different hues of lights one can create thousands of hues by mixing them in different proportions.
In terms of visual literacy, however, it is more relevant to group the different hues into two categories: warm and cool. Basically, red, orange, yellow, and other similar hues are warm. Blue and its close cousins are seen as cool hues. By examining the balance of warm and cool, and the presence of primary colors, we can get a good sense of what is going on in an image visually.
Visually, hue does three things. It adds another dimension to images that once were black and white. It acts as a formal element in a composition that directs the viewerÕs attention. It also creates moods and feelings in an image that complement the message that the image gives formally.
It was not long ago that our photographic images were in black and white. Black and white images translate reality in a different way than color images. In black and white, all color is translated into different values of gray. There is a greater sense of the abstract forms in a black and white image than there is in a color image, which classifies things in terms of color, not shape and value. The presence and absence of color in an image can change the formal aspect of the image. When black and white images are juxtaposed with colored images, this seems to create two different realities. For example, it can shift time and location.
The colors in an image play an active roll in determining how the other visual elements will interact in that image. For example, in an image predominated by cool hues, a warm hue will draw the attention of the viewer. Colors tend to recede and contract. Placing certain colors next to each other can enhance dimension. Color adds another factor in how the image works formally.
Likewise, mood can be expressed through hue. Each hue is associated with different emotions. Red evokes feelings of strong emotion or anger. Most likely, this association is derived from the feelings we get when we see blood. Blood red is the ultimate red. Blood red represents passion, anger, and pain; all very strong emotions. Therefore, in films, red is frequently used for prostitutes, and fast cars. Red suggests extravagance and ostentatiousness.
Blue, on the other hand is cool and passive. these feelings are probably related to the blue ocean or sky. Therefore, blue is frequently used to stand for truth in blue uniforms and the American flag, for example.
Yellow is cheerful, and warm, perhaps like the warm yellow sun. White's association with innocence may have originated with the pureness of snow, for instance. The epitome of innocence in the media would be a girl in a white dress with light blond hair and a white lily. Black represents evil because it is associated with the darkness of the night. Therefore, black is worn by vampires, and burglars. These are a few examples, among many, that illustrate the way in which the feelings associated with certain colors can affect the way these hues are used in media; non-verbal cues that send a message or enhance the mood of the picture or scene.
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