When talking about photography the term tone refers to the overall range of lightness and darkness, and color variation within an image. Also often referred to as ‘value’ the tone of an image can have a drastic effect on how an image ‘feels’; Images containing many dark tones often appear dramatic and sad while images featuring light tones appear happy and vibrant. juxtaposition between image subject and tone can be used to create jarring and powerful images. The difference between the lightest and darkest tones within an image is referred to as ‘Dynamic-Range’.
Tone is incredibly powerful. It is a large part of what sets the mood of the final image.
Tones in Color Photography
In black and white photography, the tones are a lot more obvious since it changes the photo to sepia and white or another color and white. However, that doesn’t make the toning of color photography, even though it is subtler, any less powerful. With color photography, it all comes down to enhancing the mood and meaning of the image.
As you’re thinking about tones, start with warm and cool colors, and think about their properties. Warm colors — reds, yellows, oranges and browns — can lend a variety of different feelings to an image, ranging between excitement and welcoming warmth. Cool colors, like green, blue and violet, on the other hand, tend to be more relaxing and refreshing, although blue can be used to indicate sadness.
Color tones can be broken down even deeper than that, however. As you are choosing a tone, it helps to think about the psychology behind colors — in other words, how colors affect people. Here is a quick list of the meaning of various colors to help you choose the perfect tone:
- Red is a rare color to use as a cast in a color image, but it has been done before. In general, red has warmth and energy to it, and it can also be used to convey a sense of strength or danger. When you see a red color cast, most often, it will be a shade that trends towards brown.
- Orange tones make people think of comfort — good food, warmth and a sense of security.
- Yellow is a commonly used tone, and in fact, it is the tone that you’ll get when you take photographs as the sun is getting ready to set for the day — that rich, golden color that makes everything seem more cheerful.
- Green is the color of harmony. It tends to make people feel refreshed, so when you add a green cast to an image, make sure that the subject material matches the fresh and tranquil tone you’ve chosen.
- Blue is likely the most versatile color. Depending on your subject material, it can indicate serenity or tranquility. Because it is such a chilly color, however, it can also lend a depressing sort of feeling to your images.
- Violet tends to make images feel more authentic, and with certain subject material, the image may see more upscale or luxurious. In fact, in monochrome photography, this hue is popular since it conveys a sense of grandeur or motion.
Be aware that shifts in shade mean a lot, too. For instance, a red that trends toward brown, a completely brownish cast, or a yellow-green color can all give the image a completely different feeling than their parent colors will. Experiment in post processing with various shades, and you’ll quickly see what I mean.
Tones in Black and WhitePhotography
As mentioned before, when it comesto tones in monochrome photography, they tend to be a lot more obvious. Thereare also three ways to add tones to your monochrome images: Add the color tothe lightest areas of the photograph, keeping your blacks black, change thecolor of the blacks and middle tones while leaving the highlights alone, or toneall of the colors across the range.
- When it comes to colors, there are several popular options. For instance, sepia is used to soften the image, or to make the image resemble an old-fashioned photograph. If you browse sepia photos, you’ll notice that some trend more towards black, with brownish highlights, while others are sepia all the way through.
A Note on Subtlety
With every image that you create,don’t hesitate to tinker with the tones. You’ll be amazed to find that slightadjustments make a huge difference. And, since most of us aren’t attempting toapply tones using obscure and old-fashioned processes anymore, you’ll be ableto experiment endlessly to learn what works best for each individual image.
FAQs
These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. Meanwhile, the principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist's intent. The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity or variety.
What are the elements of design and their definitions? ›
Elements of Design. Elements of design are the basic units of a visual image, they include space, line, balance, color, and shape. The elements also compliment each other. Lines can be vertical, horizontal, zigzag, diagonal or curved. Shape can have two types; Geometric and organic.
What are the five 5 elements of design? ›
The elements of design are the fundamental aspects of any visual design which include shape, color, space, form, line, value, and texture.
What are the 7 basic principles of design? ›
The fundamental principles of design are: Emphasis, Balance and Alignment, Contrast, Repetition, Proportion, Movement and White Space. Design differs from art in that it has to have a purpose. Visually, this functionality is interpreted by making sure an image has a center of attention, a point of focus.
What are the 7 elements of visual art? ›
The 7 basic elements of visual art are SHAPE, LINE, SPACE, FORM, TEXTURE, VALUE, AND COLOUR. These elements are the building blocks of art that help the artist communicate. These elements help us in understanding the piece of art more clearly.
What are the 12 principles of design? ›
These 12 principles, explained in the infographic below, include contrast, balance, emphasis, proportion, hierarchy, repetition, rhythm, pattern, white space, movement, variety, and unity (there are also some additional Gestalt principles of design).
What are the 7 principles of interior design? ›
There are seven main principles of interior design: balance, harmony, rhythm, proportion and scale, emphasis, contrast, and details. These concepts can be applied to any room in your home, from the living room to the bathroom.
What are the 8 elements of art? ›
ELEMENTS OF ART: The visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value. may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract. Shape An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to height and width.
What are the elements of art or design? ›
The seven elements of art are line, shape, space, value, form, texture, and color. These elements are the building blocks, or ingredients, of art. A line is a mark made on a surface.
What are the elements of a design model? ›
The design model includes four elements: architecture, interface design, component-level design, and deployment-level design. The architectural element defines the structural representation of the software, its subsystems, and components.
The elements of visual design — line, shape, negative/white space, volume, value, colour and texture — describe the building blocks of a product's aesthetics. On the other hand, the principles of design tell us how these elements can and should go together for the best results.
What are the 7 elements of design explain? ›
7 Elements of Design and Rule of Thirds
Design elements are the basic units of any visual design which form its structure and convey visual messages. The elements of design are line, shape, form, space, texture, tone (or value) and color, "These elements are the materials from which all designs are built."
What are the most obvious elements of design? ›
Color is one of the most obvious elements of design, for both the user and the designer. It can stand alone, as a background, or be applied to other elements, like lines, shapes, textures or typography. Color creates a mood within the piece and tells a story about the brand.
What are the 5 Cs of design? ›
Collection, community, culture, collaboration, and creativity – these are the five C's of art in design.
What are the rules of 7 in design? ›
The rule of 7 is based on the marketing principle that customers need to see your brand at least 7 times before they commit to a purchase decision. This concept has been around since the 1930s when movie studios first coined the approach.
What are the seven 7 principles of arts and design? ›
The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help determine whether a painting is successful, and whether or not the painting is finished. The artist decides what principles of art he or she wants to use in a painting.
What is the 7th key element in graphic design? ›
The most widely accepted seven basic components of graphic design are, in descending order of importance: 1) line, 2) shape, 3) color, 4) texture, 5) type, 6) space and 7) image.
What is the 7th step of the design process? ›
Improve Product Design. Users' standards improve over time, and it is important to improve the product design to adapt to their changing needs and preferences. Continuous improvement requires utilizing the data generated from the earlier steps, especially from continuous product analysis.
