MIXORA
Menu
Search MixoraArt of Color15 color toolsArt of Thought15 writing toolsConcepts

MIXORA CONCEPT

Pigment

A material that changes reflected or transmitted light through selective absorption and scattering.

colorStrong evidence
IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

A paint color is not only a HEX value. Particle size, binder, concentration, opacity and spectral behavior all affect the result on a real surface.

What “Strong evidence” means

The core definition or effect is well established across authoritative standards, foundational research or a broad research literature. The label does not make every practical prediction certain.

Marker-board illustration created specifically to explain Pigment: A material that changes reflected or transmitted light through selective absorption and scattering.VISUAL EXPLANATION · MARKER BOARD
A material that changes reflected or transmitted light through selective absorption and scattering.
EXAMPLE

Two paints that look like the same red on a screen can mix differently because they use different pigments.

COMMON CONFUSION

A color name identifies an appearance family, not necessarily one chemical pigment.

ASK YOURSELF

What material behavior is hidden behind this screen color?

RELATED CONCEPTS
color × bridgeSubtractive color mixing

Mixing colorants that absorb parts of incoming light, usually producing a darker, less reflective mixture.

color × bridgeSpectral reflectance

The fraction of incoming light a surface returns at each wavelength.

colorOpacity

How strongly a paint film hides the surface or color beneath it.

colorTint strength

How strongly a color influences a mixture, often judged by how much it changes white or another standard paint.

References

Last reviewed

  1. 01
    Colorimetry, 4th Edition

    CIE · 2018 · International Commission on Illumination

    Definitions and standard colorimetric practice.
    Reference source
What the source labels mean
Primary source
Original work, experiment, standard or historical text.
Academic source
Scholarly research or review published for an academic audience.
Reference source
An expert standard, encyclopedia or institutional explanation that summarizes a field.
General reference
A practical specialist resource useful for application, but not treated as decisive research by itself.