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What is a shade in color theory?

By Coral Nafie, About.com

Color - Cool Blues

Shades of blue shown at left, tints at right.

Photo C. Nafie

Question: What is a shade in color theory?

Answer: The shade of a color refers to how dark it is. It is the combination of a hue and black. Thus, burgundy is a shade of red, hunter is a shade of green, and rust is a shade of orange.

Shades of a color offer a deeper and richer feeling in decorating and can be used to make any room feel cozier.

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