What does “freedom from white or gray” mean when describing chroma?
Asked 9/21/2013
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I’m trying to understand the definition of chroma as “the purity of a color, or its freedom from white or gray.” What does that mean in practical terms? Is color basically the result of certain wavelengths becoming dominant because light is absorbed or filtered, while white/gray are mixtures with no dominant hue? How does adding white or gray reduce a color’s chroma?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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In the world of paints a freedom from white or grey means just what it says; a colour that has not been cut with white or grey. I have been mixing colours in a paint shop, a long time ago.
Often we would cut a colour to have it more pleasing to your eye. For example a pure blue house paint looks much better when slightly cut with grey or white. Often seen example is pure white though. You don't want blinding bright white paint, really. When I was mixing colours into base paints we used two drops of black ink and one drop of yellow ink into a litre of pure white. The result is still observed as white, but much more pleasant than the pure white.
To have a chroma colour in paint we would mix only pure color ink(s) into clear base paint. No cutting with white or grey.
Originally by user17441. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user17441
12y ago
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Yes—your basic idea is on the right track. We perceive color when the light reaching our eyes is not balanced equally across wavelengths, so one hue becomes dominant. White, gray, and black are called achromatic because they do not have a dominant hue: white is a broad/even mix of visible wavelengths, gray is a reduced-intensity neutral mix, and black is little or no light.
“Freedom from white or gray” means the color is not diluted by neutral light or neutral pigment. A high-chroma color looks vivid and saturated. As you mix in white or gray, the color becomes less pure-looking and less intense, even if the hue is still recognizable. In paint, for example, adding gray or white “cuts” the color, making it more subdued. A pure blue is high chroma; a bluish gray or pale blue is lower chroma.
So chroma is essentially how strong or pure a color appears compared with a neutral of similar brightness.
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