Using a Color Wheel

About Monochromatic and Analogous Color Schemes “Monochromatic and Analogous schemes have the lowest contrast in color. Colors in these schemes are closely related, and near each other on the color wheel. They work well for photos with different colors, or ones with a busy background. They also complement black and white photography”.

Monochromatic Consists of only one color its shades and tints Scheme is unifying and harmonious Example:

Analogous Consists of three to five colors that are side by side on a color wheel Harmonious and pleasing to the eye Scheme works well for matching colors Example:

About complementary, split, and triad color schemes “Complementary, triad, and split complements have more contrast. Colors are further away from each other on the color wheel, and aren’t as closely related. These color schemes are easy to work with, and can adapt to different moods”.

Complementary Directly across from each other on the color wheel Red/green, blue/orange, and yellow/purple Example

Split Complements On each side of the complement color on the color wheel Examples of spilt complements are red-orange and blue-green Subtle and effective in creating a balanced approach Example

Triad colors Equally spaced out on a color wheel Red, blue, yellow; orange, green and violet; red-orange and blue-violet Example

Tetrad colors Four or more colors. Find the key color and its complement, and on each side of these two colors are the tetrad combination (Combination forms a rectangle) Colors are dissimilar Example