How is the perception of color defined?

The perception of color is defined as hue, which refers to the attribute of color that allows us to classify it as red, blue, green, etc. Hue is one of the three fundamental characteristics of color, alongside saturation and brightness. It encompasses the specific wavelength of light that is perceived and categorized by the human eye and brain.

Understanding hue is essential in various fields such as art, design, and aesthetics because it forms the basis of how colors are identified and differentiated from one another. For instance, when a person sees a green apple, the distinctive characteristic that primarily allows them to recognize it as green is its hue.

In contrast, saturation describes the intensity or purity of a color, while brightness refers to how light or dark a color appears. Tone, though related, is usually more closely associated with the lightness or darkness of a color when mixed with white or black. Each of these terms plays a role in defining color, but hue is the most directly related to how we name and identify colors.