What is color temperature and what does it affect? The concept of warm and cold colors in coloristics differs from the generally accepted one in the study of exact sciences; it determines not real physical properties, but the perception of it by a person, the impact on well-being and mood. Although this knowledge is subjective, it has been tested by many years of practice in areas such as art, design or color therapy. Stylists and makeup artists, in addition to color temperature, work with shade temperature. Color temperature and shade are often confused, so let's look at them separately.
Color temperature.
The psychological effects of color on people and some animals have long been known, especially if large areas are painted. Therefore, distinguishing between warm and cold colors is important when choosing interior color schemes.
This experience is backed by research. It turned out that cold colors reduce, and warm colors increase, blood circulation. For example, a room was painted a certain color and people were asked to determine the temperature. In rooms painted blue and green, people felt the temperature was 2-3 degrees lower than in a room painted red and orange. It is no coincidence that in everyday life the designation of cold in blue and hot in red on water taps, thermometers and other objects. These everyday symbols further cement temperature-color associations in the mind. Associations are also supported by natural phenomena. The sky, ice, water have blue shades. The sun, fire, sand are orange.
Contrast in the interior to create volume
— Ragno (Italy) Woodstory floor tiles with a wood pattern
Furniture and decorative items can also help bring contrast to the finish. Adding leather armchairs to a living room decorated primarily in cool tones can instantly make the room feel cozier, while bar stools painted in cool tones will bring balance and freshen up to a kitchen space decorated with gold fixtures and fittings.
— Text and photo:
STUDIO MCGEE
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Absolute color temperature.
Let's divide the color wheel into two halves. At the upper pole is the warmest color – orange. It is considered the warmest because it does not have cold shades; later we will look at this property in more detail. At the lower pole is the coldest color - blue. On the sides of the color wheel are temperature-neutral colors – green and purple. Both are formed by a mixture of cold and warm colors, green - yellow and blue, purple - red and blue. All colors in the top half are considered warm, while the colors in the bottom half are considered cool.
Achromatic colors: white, black and gray are neutral.
How do warm and cool colors depend on wavelength?
Warm and cold colors are associated with the attributes of the season. Cool shades are those that we most often see in winter, and warm shades in summer. However, recognition is based on the wavelength of the spectrum: the shorter the wave, the colder we perceive the color, and vice versa: the longer, the warmer. And since we cannot see the wave vibration of the spectrum, we rely on indirect indicators: - under the influence of a long wave, we feel an increase in heartbeat, respiratory rhythm, blood flow, which means thermal sensations change: the environment seems warmer than it actually is Therefore, colors with a long wavelength are called warm. - when exposed to a short wave, we feel a slowing of the heartbeat, relaxation, slowing of breathing, a rush of blood, which leads to a feeling of cold. Such tones are called cold. The average length in the spectrum has minimal impact on vital signs and is considered the most comfortable.
| Color | Wavelength in n/m |
| Red | 800-650 |
| Orange | 640-590 |
| Yellow | 580-550 |
| Green | 530-490 |
| Blue | 480-460 |
| Blue | 450-440 |
| Violet | 430-390 |
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However, we rarely see spectral color, since we perceive the world reflected from objects. A light beam, which contains a set of all color waves, falls on a leaf of a tree and we see green, because the green spectrum is reflected to the greatest extent from its surface (all other waves are partially absorbed). The reflection intensity is also not great (total absorption is black). If this reflection were perfect, we would see all the leaves the same bright green. However, even the green wave does not bounce off completely; yellow, blue, indigo, and red ones are not partially absorbed. The uniformity of surface reflection is also not linear: somewhere we see highlights, somewhere a shadow, in some places the leaf is paler, and somewhere more yellow, etc. Our eye processes information about the quantity and quality of color reflection using 3- x types of color receptors: cones type S - yellow-red spectrum (warm); M - green-yellow (medium); L - blue-violet (cold). Whichever side of the scale weighs, that’s how we will characterize the tone.
The division into warm and cold tone can be done both in all shades and in specific rows of colors. From this we can conclude that this division is relative. So in the general spectrum, dark purple will be the coldest, but if you compare purple shades with each other, they can be divided into warm purple and cold purple. This is due to the fact that we rarely see pure spectral color; others are almost always mixed with it. In this case, violet shades often include purple, which does not belong to the violet spectrum, but is the result of the longest wave (red) and the shortest wave (violet) hitting the retina, which makes the tone warmer even compared to blue.
Relative temperature. Cold and warm shades of colors.
Understanding relative temperature is important when working with multiple colors and color palettes. It helps, for example, to convey space and volume in an image or surface using color.
Apart from orange and blue, all colors can be both warm and cold relative to others. Using a color wheel, this is as easy to determine as absolute temperature. Warmth decreases as you approach the lower pole and blue color, for example, red or yellow will be cooler than orange, and lemon or magenta will be cooler than red and yellow. The same principle applies to increasing warmth: cyan and violet will be warmer than blue, turquoise and purple will be warmer still. Temperature gradations are especially evident in analogue and nuanced palettes.
A color can be warm or cold not only in relation to other colors, but also to its own shades.
Cold purple and its shades
Cold purple is not only a deep cosmic tone, but also light, medium shades, formed both from the main one and with an admixture of blue, gray, black and white. This range contains the darkest colors, lilac and the lion's share of gray-violet tones.
Cool purple color photo
Deep violet (1), blue violet (2), dark violet (3), black violet (4), bright lilac (5), blue lilac (6), light lilac (7), pale -lilac (8), blue-violet (9), light gray-violet (10), charoite color (11), dark gray-violet (12).
Cold and warm shades of colors.
Difficulties most often arise with determining the shade temperature. Concepts such as cold red or warm red have become firmly established in everyday life, but not everyone understands them to mean the same thing. First, relative hue temperature is often confused with color temperature. Secondly, subjectivity: there is no exact definition of where red begins and ends. Meanwhile, the ability to identify cold and warm tones is important when working with a person’s appearance, for example, determining color types and selecting individual color palettes. This skill can be developed through experience and understanding of a simple principle.
Any color except orange can have warm, neutral and cool shades. How to determine the temperature of a hue using the color wheel?
We take any color and determine its boundaries. Then we find the approximate center. Shades of color lying on the orange side will be warm. On the blue side - cold. Intermediate colors without admixtures of warm or cold are called local or neutral.
Let's take green first. It is formed by warm yellow and cool blue colors. A cool or warm green tint is obtained due to the preponderance of blue or yellow. Moving up towards yellow we get warm shades, down towards blue we get cool shades.
The same principle applies when identifying other colors, such as yellow. Approaching orange, the color warms up. Going down, yellow acquires a greenish, lemon, cold tint. Neutral yellow has no obvious greenish or orange tint.
The orange color stands out especially. This is the warmest and the only color that does not have cold shades. In addition, it distributes warmth to the surroundings. The closest colors: yellow-orange and orange-red are also exceptionally warm.
Red. The same principle applies here: the upper shades, illuminated by yellow, are warm, the lower ones, on the purple side, are cold.
Purple itself is a neutral color, like green, it is formed by a mixture of cool and warm colors. A large proportion of red makes it warm, blue makes it cold. From the point of view of use in warm or cold tones, this is a rather complex color. The differences between warm purple and cool red or cool purple and violet are difficult to discern. It is also difficult to isolate the local purple color.
The same difficulties in defining boundaries apply to purple. Adding red makes it warmer, adding blue makes it cooler.
The difficulty in determining the temperature of a shade is that there are no precise and generally accepted distinctions where the warm shade of one color ends and the cold shade of another begins. Local shades also have no clear boundaries. Usually, when we are dealing with the primary colors: red, blue, yellow and green, this division is intuitive; experience helps to distinguish between other colors.
Blue is the coldest color of the entire palette, it is the antipode of orange. But if orange makes neighboring colors extremely warm and has no cold shades, then blue does not have similar properties. Conventionally, a warm blue color can be distinguished. Some people believe that blue, by definition, cannot be warm, but a warm range of colors can also contain blue if you choose the right shade. Its cold, or local, shades are located in the middle, and its warm ones are located at the edges: on one side, blue is illuminated by yellow, on the other by red. These shades will be warmer than the cool blue.
Blue-green colors stand out separately. Here, warmth-coldness is conditional and depends on whether they are separated into a separate group with their own local color or considered as part of green and blue shades.
If we consider turquoise as a local color, then those located on the green side will be warm, and those located on the blue side will be cold.
If we consider blue as the local color, the same tones will be warm. Here, lightness and saturation are involved in determining color.
So, we come to the influence of lightness and saturation on color temperature. Up to this point, we have considered the properties of warmth and coldness in pure colors and one parameter - tone. But this is not enough, since most often you have to deal with complex colors that contain an admixture of achromatic ones, that is, take into account all three parameters. Lightness changes with the addition of white and black, saturation changes with the addition of gray.
Cool red color goes well
Cold red, even if it occupies the central part of the composition, does not evoke violent emotions, unlike its opposite. It blends softly into palettes and usually comes in a range of lighter or darker sister shades that create natural dimension. The contrasts with them are smooth, unobtrusive, natural.
Temperature of achromatic colors.
Pure achromatic colors are considered neutral. However, in nature it is difficult to find absolutely neutral gray, white or black; they always have an advantage in one direction. So, cold or warm white color is obtained from the admixture of other tones. Yellow-red ones make it warm, blue ones make it cold. The same applies to gray and black.
How does the color of lighting affect people in the room?
Natural sunlight is considered optimal for human eyes. However, scientists have still not been able to create a device with a radiation intensity as close to natural as possible.
Don't worry, the color of the light does not affect human vision in any way. However, it has a certain effect on our psycho-emotional state. If cold light gives you vigor and helps you stay in good shape, then warm light will help you relax, and each of them is appropriate in a certain environment. We suggest you understand the difference between them in order to understand which artificial light, warm white or cold, you should choose.
Temperature of mixed colors.
For clarity, it will be convenient to return to the color ball model and look at its vertical section. The cold and warm poles of the color wheel are located at the edges, and neutral colors are located in the center. Moving from the extreme temperature characteristics to the middle, the color approaches the opposite pole and is thereby neutralized. In other words, by decreasing saturation, increasing or decreasing lightness, the color will mix with achromatic neutrals and become neutral itself.
The warm group - reds, yellows - become less warm, their diluted shades seem colder.
Dilution with gray and black colors most quickly changes the character of light yellow and lemon shades; they appear greenish and cold.
The orange color does not acquire cold shades, but becomes more neutral. With dilution it quickly becomes unrecognizable and turns brown.
Blue and violet with the addition of white and gray lose their cold properties and seem warmer.
As you can see, using the color wheel it is easy to distinguish cool shades from warm ones. Difficulties arise with the definition of blue-red and blue-green shades; here it all depends on which color is considered local. Complex and mixed colors are more difficult than pure ones in determining warmth and coldness. Here it is necessary to distinguish nuances and see how the same tone changes along with lightness and saturation.
Continued: removing and bringing colors closer >>
Color and its temperature: which is which?
Now there will be a little physics, and after that everything will be about drawing.
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How do we see colors?
Color is the result of a chemical reaction that takes place in our eyes. Electromagnetic waves propagate in space from the source of the magnetic field disturbance, and then affect the colors red, blue and green. The signal enters the brain, and the surrounding world takes on colors.
The perception of color depends on the frequency of oscillations of electromagnetic waves or their length. This is the distance between the extreme points of the wave, which is measured in nanometers (1 nm = 10−9 meters). Our eyes do not perceive the entire possible range of vibrations, but only a small part of it, called visible radiation. Its conventional boundaries range from 380 to 780 nm.
The waves of visible radiation emitted by the Sun collectively appear as white light. It was first broken down into its component parts by Isaac Newton using a glass prism in 1672.
Should eye color be taken into account?
Eye color is far from the main criterion when choosing a red lip product. However, the perfect lipstick will help highlight your eyes too!
For brown eyes
Dark wine lipstick will help highlight the bottomless depth of dark eyes. Use it not only in winter makeup, but also in summer. Complete this makeup with shimmering beige eyeshadow.
© imaxtree
For blue and gray eyes
Coral, orange and any other lipsticks with obvious splashes of orange will visually make blue eyes more “transparent” and innocent. Tomato-colored products will give gray eyes a steely sheen.
© imaxtree
© imaxtree
For green eyes
Bold products with a purple tint (for example, currant lipstick) are especially suitable for green-eyed beauties. Berry shades are a real must have for you.
Shades of red lipstick
First of all, let's figure out what basic shades of red lipstick exist. For convenience, we have divided them into three parts - “cool” shades (with a cold undertone), “warm” (with a warm undertone) and “neutral” (classic red lipsticks): this will make it easier to understand the issue and choose the perfect product.
Read also: Gray eyes are terribly alluring... (Photo)
© Makeup.ru
The red color itself has neither a cold nor a warm temperature in its pure form (as, by the way, does green). Therefore, if it “shifts” towards blue, it becomes cold, if towards yellow, it becomes warm. Consequently, warm shades of red are slightly yellowish, orange or golden, while cool shades have a blue or pink pigment.
