The lightness or darkness of a color/hue is called what?

• A. Hue
• B. Value
• C. Saturation
• D. Tone

Answer: (B)

The lightness or darkness of a color is called value. It describes how bright or dark a color appears, independent of the color family (hue). You adjust value by adding white to make a color lighter or black to make it darker, creating tints and shades that build depth. Hue identifies the actual color (red, blue, etc.) and stays the same as you change lightness. Saturation measures how pure or vivid the color is, not its lightness. Tone is often used to describe a color modified with gray, which can affect both value and saturation, but the specific term for lightness/darkness is value. This concept is essential for creating contrast and shading in any color work.