Make a Saturation Matrix in Illustrator

In this free video tutorial I demonstrate how to make a 5 by 5 grid filled with all the different values and saturations of a single color. This is a superb teaching tool and a great way to learn about color saturation.

Attention Graphic Designers!  The color chart that I create in this tutorial is nothing more than a smaller version of “color picker” that Adobe uses to allow artists to choose a color in most of their graphic software applications such as Illustrator and Photoshop.

This exercise answers the question: “What does mixing black, white and a color make?” Learn all about color saturation by building the saturation matrix!

If you are an art teacher or painting instructor creating a saturation matrix (color picker) is a great way to teach color saturation and value to your students.  Learning about color and its 3 properties( hue, saturation, value) can be very difficult to understand.  Working from a saturation matrix visually lays out desaturated colors in a logical manner making color mixing easier to comprehend.