Identifying 3 Types of Color

There are essentially three kinds of color.

Ideal
Ideal color (often thought of as accurate color) is produced when the color of objects is unmodified by temporal or atmospheric effects or enhancement. Forensics and product photographers favor this type of color.

Ambient
Ambient color is produced when the color of objects is modified by time of day or atmospheric effects, like dust or fog. Landscape photographers often favor this type of color.

Synthetic
Synthetic color is produced when the color of objects is transformed from its original color to another color. You can produce synthetic color before photographic color or afterward with digital enhancement. Graphic artists often favor this type of color.

It’s useful to distinguish between these three types of color. Doing this provides insights into how (what tools to use and how to use them) to adjust color in your images. It also provides insights into your color preferences and visual voice.

Read more Color Theory.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.