Original subtitles

have you ever wondered how some artists

are able to find perfect color combinations

that just seem to work every time

it's not just art

it's science

and we call it color theory

in this video

I'm going to show you how to use the color wheel

and some basic formulas

known as color harmonies

to choose color combinations that are appealing

cohesive and just look good

using Colour Harmonies

you can invoke certain emotions

create a mood

or add context to your images

when you don't use color harmony

your art can appear bland and boring

or so chaotic that your brain can't process it properly

so let's start at the beginning

you may remember back at school

where you Learned about primary

secondary and tertiary colors

we are taught that the primary colors are red

blue and yellow

when mixed together

these make the secondary green

orange and purple

take it a step further

and you'll get the tertiary colors

yellow green

red orange and so on

bees make up the traditional color wheel

that was created by Sir Isaac Newton

and helps us to understand

how different colors work together

the traditional colour wheel

is no longer the only colour wheel that exists

there are other colour wheels

and methods that are used by artists and designers

to create a bigger range of colours when mixed together

these colour wheels are important

and we'll talk about them in a future video

but when it comes to choosing

colour combinations

the traditional colour wheel is still our best resource

for understanding colour harmony

and how colours work together to create beautiful art

there are four main qualities

of each color on our wheel

the first is hue

this is simply the color position around the wheel

and the brightest

purest version of each color

our wheel uses 12 main colors

but we can also work with all of the hues in between

second we have saturation

this can also be known as intensity or chroma

this tells us how vibrant a color is

a desaturated color is grayed out and dull

while a saturated color is vibrant and strong

then we have value

this tells us how dark or lighter color is

we can create shades of our color by adding black

or tints of our color by adding white

we can also add tone by adding gray

and finally

we have temperature

the color wheel can be split into two main

warm colors

and cool colors

but individual colors can also change in temperature

as we move around our wheel

a warm red includes more yellow

and a cool red includes more blue

when we combine hue

saturation value

and temperature

we find ourselves with a myriad of variations

of each of our 12 main colors

so how do we use all these colors together

we can use our 12 basic hues on the color wheel

along with some easy to follow formulas

to create an endless collection

of color combinations that look balanced

appealing and just work

these formulas are known as color harmonies

the first and easiest is a monochromatic color harmony

this takes just one base color

or hue from our wheel

and uses different shades

tones or tins to create a group of colors

it's one of the easiest color harmonies to create

and look simple

cohesive and organized

next we have a complementary color scheme

this takes two colors from opposite

sides of the color wheel

such as red and green

or blue and orange

this type of color scheme is great for creating

strong contrast in your image

a split complementary color scheme

is similar to a complementary color scheme

except one of the colors is split into two

nearby colors

this keeps the high contrast

of the complementary color scheme

but also adds more variety

a triadic color scheme

uses three colors

that are evenly spaced around the color wheel

like a triangle

these color combinations are often bold

and vibrant

tetratic colours are four colours in a rectangle shape

made up of two sets of complementary colours

together as one palette

these palettes work best

when you focus on one main colour

and use the other colours as contrasting accents

an analogous color scheme

uses two to four colors

that are next to each other on the color wheel

this is one of the simplest

and most appealing color harmonies

and works best if you choose

one dominant color

and use the other colors as accents

these different color harmonies

are a great guide

to create colors that work well together

you can create more variety by changing the shades

tones and tints

within each color palette

giving you endless ways to mix and match colors

that look great

this can all be a bit overwhelming

but don't worry

after you've started applying these methods

you'll start to pick up an intuition

and confidence

for which colors work well together

and which colors don't

here are some general tips to help you

first pick one dominant colour

whichever colour harmony you choose

using one dominant colour

will create a sense of balance in your design

you can choose one main colour

and use the rules of colour harmonies

to find other colours that work as accents

or smaller details in your design

next use just a few colors

simple is best

adding too many colors in your design

can quickly become overwhelming

or chaotic to your viewers

choosing just a few colors

and applying these color rules

can create art that is bold

simple and yet

still interesting

finally you can use color palettes

for inspiration

learning the rules of color theory

can help you know what works well together

but it doesn't mean you have to start from scratch

every time you can find

colour palettes

like those I've included

in the colour catalogue

that are inspired by nature

or existing designs

and naturally

incorporate colours

that look good together

choosing good color combinations

doesn't have to be hard

and challenging yourself to use

some of these

tools and formulas

can expand your skills

and help you to be creative

in a whole new way