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Design terminology 101: The difference between hues, tints, tones, and shades

Improve your understanding of color and communicate like a designer.

Adobe Express
02/10/2025
The difference between hues, tints, tones, and shades header image featuring a pink

Hue, hint, tone, and shade are four words that are frequently confused and interchangeably used (and incorrectly, might we add). While color is a general term used to describe every hue, tint, tone, or shade, if you're looking to really understand your use of color and communicate clearly as a designer, it’s important to get straight on the differences between these terms and when it’s appropriate to use them.

What is a hue

A hue is the dominant color family of a particular color. The hue of a color is the underlying base color of the mixture that you’re looking at – aka – yellow, orange, red, violet, blue, or green (the primary and secondary colors). Tertiary colors (mixed colors where neither color is dominant) are also considered hues. For example, the color burgundy has a red hue, and the color navy has a blue hue. That being said, the hue of a color isn’t always so obvious to identify at a first glance. While it’s important to note that pure black, pure white, and pure gray do not contain a hue, more neutral colors such as cool gray could have a hue that is green, blue, or purple depending on the exact color you’re working with.

What is a tint

A tint is when white only is mixed with an existing color to make it lighter and paler – often resulting in a pastel version of the original color. A tint can range from slighter lighter than the original color, all the way to white with a very small amount of the original color mixed in. True tints contain no gray.

Further reading: 101 brilliant color combinations

Close up of hands examining various color palette strips

What is a tone

Similarly, to a tint, a tone is when gray only is mixed with an existing color. The gray used must be a neutral gray – which is a gray that contains only white and black. Mixing gray with pure colors can tone down the vibrancy of a color creating something with a more sophisticated appearance that could be fitting for a mature audience (versus pure colors that are often used for designs targeted towards children).

What is a shade

A shade is when a pure hue or a mixture of pure colors has only black added. To clarify, a pure shade contains no white or gray. A shade will darken the original color, and can range from a slightly darker version of the original color, all the way to black with just a touch of the original color mixed in.

Further reading: The ultimate guide to logo colors for your business

Now we’re clear on the differences between hue, tint, shade, and tone, you're ready to approach color with confidence. Experiment with your newfound knowledge by editing a template in Adobe Express.