Color theory... breaking it down to basics

Color plays a big part of our lives; understanding color terminology is key to working with everyone from the paint-mixing technician to an interior decorator. Terms like hue, tint, shade and tone get thrown around in a seemingly arbitrary fashion and many people use them interchangeably. Someone talking paint colors may use them differently than someone talking digital colors; then there are neutrals, saturation, chroma, and other properties of color.