The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Hue, Tint, Tone and Shade

We often hear people say things like, 'What a beautiful blue hue.'  or 'What shade of green do you like?'  or 'Which tone do you prefer?' or 'That tint is too light.'

Have you ever wondered what exactly they mean by these color terms? Let me clarify the difference between them. Once you understand the difference, you'll never be unsure again. You'll also be able to describe or mix a color much more easily.

Hue vs Color

To begin, most people use the terms  Hue and Color interchangeably. It's very common, even with artists and designers to assume the two mean the same thing.

Generally speaking they sort of do, but technically they don't.

The comment above sounds like one of those mind-bending riddles. In fact, the difference between them is actually very simple.

When you use color in any project, it's super helpful to talk or think about each one clearly. So let me explain the difference between Hue and Color in the easiest way possible.

Hue refers to the origin of the color we see. Think of the Hue as one of the six Primary and Secondary colors. In other words, the underlying base color of the mixture you're looking at is either Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue or Green.

In the photo at the top of the page, you obviously know the Hues right away. But what about more complex colors we want to duplicate in our artwork or projects?

How to Talk Like a Color Pro​

What if a color is truly an in-between Tertiary  such as a Yellow/Green where neither Yellow nor Green dominate? Obviously you could describe it as a Yellow/Green Hue and you wouldn't be wrong.

Before long you'll find it easy to identify the Hue more specifically. You'll begin to drill down and impress yourself, by describing the color something like this: 
'The color has a Yellow Hue, leaning strongly toward Green.'  
Indeed this clarifies that the mixture began with the Primary Yellow, and gradually added the Secondary color Green.

Neutrals also contain a Hue depending on their originating color. On the other hand, pure Black, pure White and Pure Grey do not contain a Hue.

Here are a few examples of how you can look at a color closely to decide which is the Dominant Hue. One you've established this in your mind, it becomes much easier to recreate the color or mix it further.

Defining and Describing a TINT

A Tint is sometimes also called a Pastel. But to be  precise, Color Theory defines a True Tint as any Hue or mixture of pure colors with only White added.

A Tint lightens the color, but it doesn't make it brighter. Even though the color may appear brighter, in actual fact it  is not. In other words, it remains exactly the same color, only a paler version. Furthermore, even a small amount of White added to a color, transforms it into a Tint.

Therefore a Tint can range from slightly lighter than your original color, all the way to White with barely any of the color mixed in.

What Exactly is a TONE?

Color Theory defines a True Tone as any Hue or mixture of pure colors with only Gray added. To be precise, this definition considers Gray as truly neutral. In other words, there are no additional pigments in the Gray other than White plus Black.

A neutral mixture of Gray,  no matter how light or dark, will tone down the intensity of any color. As a general warning, be careful with how much Gray you mix in. Too much Gray dulls the color so much, it becomes impossible to get the brilliance back.

Toned colors are generally considered more pleasing to the eye. They are complex, subtle and sophisticated. That's because bright pure colors are most often associated with children.

Generally speaking, almost every color we see in our day-to-day world has been toned to some degree. In the photo below, look at the colors themselves without thinking of them as wool. Almost every bundle is a slightly Toned version of the original pure colors. Notice how nearly every variation appears to contain a little Gray, that is either a light or dark Value.

What is the definition of a SHADE?

Color Theory defines a True Shade​ as any pure Hue or mixture of pure colors with only Black added. In other words, it contains absolutely no White or Gray.

A Shade darkens the color. It remains the same Hue only a darker version. As has been noted above, even a small amount of White or Gray added to a color, transforms it into a Tone.

Therefore a Shade can range from slightly darker than your original color, all the way to nearly Black with barely any of the color mixed in.

As you can see below, the colors in the umbrella have been shaded by the lack of sunlight. However, if you wanted to paint this, you would add a tiny touch of black to each color.