CG Cookie - The Color Course

This first half of the color course focuses on understanding color from the terms associated with color, how lights project color, choosing color schemes, and much more. We go into different discussions like why Red and Cyan are considered true complimentary colors instead of red and green.

We begin first breaking down what is Color? Why is there confusion when figuring out what is considered Red? As we continue throughout this course we will constantly refer back to the three terms that better explain what color is. From there we dive into working digitally and the differences that brings when working with color projected with light rather than pigments. Once you begin understanding working in RGB (Red, Green, Blue) then it becomes easier understanding how colors mix in this digital format.

Working with color, we need to understand the color wheels associated with art and the difference between the traditional and modern color wheels. We will then show you how to choose these colors accurately from within Photoshop. Then we take the time to look at the terms associated with color such as tint, tone, shade, monochromatic, greyscale, analogous, complimentary, and warm/cool. There are a lot of color terms but they are quite simple once you know the meaning of each.

The last section in our understanding color course looks at creating basic color schemes and we have a guest appearance from one of our favorite color artists, Mel Herring giving her insights on working with color as well!

The second half focuses on working with color. I often find it easier to understand new concepts by first recognizing I was doing something wrong in the first place. We will go through the common mistakes associated with color and how to go about correcting them. Then we go through color shifting using HSB and how to push it even further with fantastical intuition if you want to. From there we explain how important contrast is and having your color speak harmoniously with one another based on their relativity. After we talk about working with the perceptions of each color. In the last videos we touch on the importance of working with neutrals, how light affects color, and confidence!

This course also offers a downloadable color wheel that we created with the pure hues, helpful guides, and rotating color scheme creators.