Hexadecimal Color Codes

[NewMindRespect]

Hello all and I thank you for any assistance (my first post in the forums!!!). I hope I have posted in the proper area/thread!

I have been reading about the color codes and I understand they contain six digits. I also understand it ranges from 0-255, which means the numbers/letters are 0-9 and A-F for the ten through 15 numbers. Green=#00FF00, Blue=#0000FF and Red=#FF0000.

What I am having a difficult time articulating is the specific role of each pair. "It changes and so does the color shades"....I don't like my current answer. The question posed to me ask for a description of what each pair of digits in a color code represent, being specific--there are three pairs of digits/characters involved and describe the role of each pair. Any ideas as to how I can describe the role of each pair and what they represent in a proper manner? I thank you in advance.

 

[HallsofIvy]

There are a number of "color" codes. The one you show here is an RGB code. Each pair or hex digits of a 6 hex digit number refers to a color, the first two red, the second two, green, and the third two, blue. Two hex digits can be from 00 to FF which would be from 0 to 255 base 10. Each can be interpreted as a percentage of that color 000000 is black because there is no part of any color. FFFFFF is white because it has 100% of all three colors. More generally, xxxxxx, with xx ranging from 00 to FF, so that we have the same percentage of red, green, and blue, gives shades of gray ranging from black to white. xx0000, again with xx ranging from 00 to FF gives shades of red, 00xx00 gives shades of green, and 0000xx gives shades of blue.

In the "RGB" scheme, half way between red and green is yellow, so that FFFF00 is bright yellow, halfway between green and blue is cyan, and half way between blue and red is magenta.

(This is an "additive" scheme where we have two colored lights or two beams on a computer screen. If we were to start with white light and adjust the color by using filters. Then we are "subtracting" colors. In a "subtractive" scheme, the base colors are yellow, magenta, and cyan and red, green, and blue are half way between those.)

 

[NewMindRespect]

HallsofIvy, thank you! When you said they can be interpreted as a percentage of that color it clicked! Thank you very much. If anyone else has anything to add, I certainly thank you, but this response does make sense to me. Standby for future questions!