Color Theory in Photography Flashcards

What does the term 'gamut' refer to in color management for photography?

Answer: The range of colors a device can capture or display

A color gamut is the complete subset of colors that a device, color space, or medium can reproduce or capture.

Which color space has the largest gamut and is often used for archiving RAW files?

Answer: ProPhoto RGB

ProPhoto RGB has the widest gamut of common photographic color spaces, encompassing colors beyond what most displays can show.

What is 'metamerism' in the context of photographic printing?

Answer: When two color samples match under one light source but not another

Metamerism occurs when two colors appear identical under one lighting condition but different under another due to different spectral compositions.

In color theory, what is a 'split-complementary' color scheme?

Answer: A base color plus the two colors adjacent to its complement

Split-complementary uses a base color and the two colors flanking (but not including) its direct complement, offering contrast with less tension.

What is the relationship between exposure and color saturation in digital photography?

Answer: Extreme overexposure clips highlights to white, losing saturation; severe underexposure crushes shadows

Blown highlights clip to pure white (zero saturation) and crushed shadows lose color detail, so proper exposure preserves color richness.

Which in-camera picture style/profile setting typically produces the most vivid, saturated colors straight out of camera?

Answer: Vivid / Landscape

Vivid or Landscape picture styles boost color saturation and contrast to produce punchy JPEGs directly from the camera.

What is 'hue rotation' used for in advanced photo editing?

Answer: Shifting specific colors to different hues without affecting others

Hue rotation in HSL panels lets you shift specific color ranges (e.g., turn green foliage more yellow) without affecting other colors.