Light colours versus dark colours

briarrose | 01:37 Sat 07th May 2005 | How it Works

6 Answers

Does light colour dilute quicker than dark colours

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NetSquirrel

Could you explain what you mean by dilute?

briarrose

Question Author

If adding water to two colours would the colouring in the light colour (say yellow) disappear before the colouring in the dark (say black) or would they both dilute/disappear at the same rate?

5029

how do you add water to a colour???

do you mean coloured paint?

Tim Baxter

A light colour contains less pigmentation (or more white) which transmits/reflects more light than a dark pigment. As the lighter colour already transmits/reflects more light then a dark pigment then any equal reduction in each (by dilution) would see it get paler (whiter) quicker than the dark. If you see what I mean.......

Hamish

Sorry to disagree tim but the change of light absorbtion of a material is liniar with respect to dilution. ie diluting two colours by 50% will result in a 50% decreae in the intencity of both. However, the eye is more sensative to some colours (esp in the green region) and therefore it can appear that a yellow pigment gets lighter at a different rate to a red.

Tim Baxter

I was referring to a lighter and darker shade of the same colour. At an exteme does diluted white = diluted black if both are diluted by 50%? Is pink a diluted red, is lemon a diluted yellow, is skyblue a diluted blue? Is lime a diluted green?

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