[Drawnblud]

I get a lot of comments about my work saying that the colours are too saturated. What the heck does that mean and how do I know if they are too saturated, not saturated enough or just perfect.
Here is my latest work:
Evil Beastie
Puhleeze help!?!

[Dr. Bang]

the best annswer is to go open a photo in PS, go to Adjust ---- > Hue/Saturation

[Jucas]

In other words; Don't use Dodge and burn tools to shade your images.

Dodge and burn create very saturated images, try using different lights and darks, of the same color, from swatches or the color picker for your lights and darks.

Certain objects look very contrasty, or saturated like reflective or metalic objects so in that case, you may want to capture that saturated look.

[Drawnblud]

Actually, I don't use the Dodge/burn tools. I've tried them in the past and found that they leave a lot to be desired. I usually do pick higher and lower values of the same colour.
What does Saturation mean in this case. Does it mean the colours are too bright?

[Frost]

According to my knowlege and experience...

Saturation is the "purity" of the color, as in PURE red (RGB 255, 0, 0), PURE green (RGB 0, 255, 0), etc. Saturation goes from least (grey scale) to most (pure primary (red, green, blue) & secondary (yellow, cyan, magenta) colors). Saturated colors are flashy, and are on the opposite scale of grey.

Looking at your picture, I would say the values (the brightness or darkness of a color, the lighting and contrast control) need more work than the saturation (though the saturation level also needs a little work).

A good picture needs a good balance in contrast, saturation, texture, etc. Artists usually use high saturation levels and high constrasts for the subject or the important portions of the image. Brightly lit surfaces including specularity is usually extremely saturated (as in using the dodge filter/layer/etc.).

[AliasMoze]

Saturation and brightness are independent, not the same thing at all. Saturation is how much color. Think of a muted pastel pink versus a hot pink. There's more saturation in the hot pink.

The term, I'd guess, is like the literally meaning of saturation. If a clothe is "saturated" with gasoline, that means it's soaked with it. Same with color.

[ October 20, 2002: Message edited by: AliasMoze ]

[Drawnblud]

Wow, thank you everybody! I think I understand now and I will work on it. I really appreciate all of the help.

Thanks again!

[Mindsiphon]

Saturated does indeed mean color that is too bright but I don't really see much over saturation of colors in you pic.

[Jin]

Hi,

Here's an easy way to see what Hue, Saturation, and Value are. Below is a screen print of Painter's Art Materials palette Color section.



Colors (or Hues) are picked by clicking and dragging the small circle around the Hue Ring.

Saturation and Value are chosen by clicking and dragging the small circle you see at the right point of the Saturation/Value Triangle.

To adjust Saturation, the Saturation/Value Triangle's small circle is dragged either right or left. The more it's dragged to the left, the more grey the color is. The more it's dragged to the right, the more saturated the color is.

To adjust Value, the Saturation/Value Triangle's small circle is dragged either up or down. The more it's dragged downward, the darker the color is. The more it's dragged upward, the lighter the color is.

Notice that in the screen print above, in the lower right corner of the Colors section, colors are displayed in HSV percentages (Hue, Saturation, and Value) and since the triangle's small circle is at the far right tip of the triangle, Saturation is 100%. The color is a fully saturated red. Also because the small circle is right at the tip of the Saturation/Value Triangle, the color is neither light nor dark and the Value is 50%, smack dab in the middle between light and dark.

If the small circle were moved to the left along the upper edge of the Saturation/Value triangle, the result would be a tint of the color, having no black or grey in it at all. If it were moved to the left along the lower edge of the triangle, the result would be a shade of the color, having no white in it at all. Any point where the small circle is moved inside the Saturation/Value Triangle will result in some mix of Saturation and Value percentages.

In the screen print below, in the lower right corner of the Colors section, the same color is now displayed in RGB values. Notice the R (red) is 255, fully saturated red.




Hope this helps to make it easier to understand and remember. It did for me.