Undertone - Color Analysis

Color temperature describes how warm or cool a color is, with warm colors leaning toward yellow, orange, and red, and cool colors toward blue, green, and violet. Temperature is relative, and the interplay between warm and cool creates the sense of light. Undertone maps temperature across an image to reveal the warm-cool structure.

Value structure is the pattern of lights, mid-tones, and darks across an image, independent of hue. Painters squint to see this pattern because strong value structure makes a painting readable from a distance. Undertone automates the squint by stripping color and dividing the image into value zones.

Color harmonies are geometric relationships on the color wheel, such as complementary, analogous, triadic, and split-complementary. Each creates a specific visual effect: complementary harmonies feel vibrant and high-contrast, while analogous harmonies feel cohesive and calm. Understanding the harmony helps you know why colors work.

Undertone differs in three ways: it shows color proportions, provides four layers of analysis (palette, harmony, temperature, value structure), and uses painter-friendly color names like Yellow Ochre and Payne's Gray instead of fantasy names.

Yes, Undertone has a free tier that includes Original view, Temperature map, Value structure, and Saturation map, and keeps 20 analyses. Premium is a one-time purchase that adds Composition, Contrast analysis, tinted value bands, unlimited history, and full-resolution export.