I always assumed it was because now you have a radical opposite. You have the absolute absence of color next to the very strong and bold presence of absolute color.

Yeah, I was thinking it might be the result of the eye freaking out slightly over exactly this.

similarly happens with the colors purple and pink, These aren't colors in the spectrum, it's your brain- essentially- pulling an error 404- Pink and purple are simply the easiest interpretation. In order to actually perceive either one of those, our eyes would have to transcend the current spectrum.

At least this is what I've come to understand, it's always subject to discussion and correction.

...sorry, as I read the title, I sort of thought about Cards Against Humanity... The biggest, blackest...

Anyway... my guess is that your mind sees the whole patch as dark already and by coloring it slightly, it causes both the rods and cones of your eyes to push out a dark signal instead of just one set...

It could just be the way the colors are set on the light spectrum that makes it seem darker than usual?

I've noticed this as well, and blue often has the opposite effect and softens it

I think but I can't be sure this is related to wavelength. Gurney talks about how yellows are most saturated when light, blues are most saturated while dark, reds are somewhere in the middle that way. That fits with your "stuff is less black when it's blue shifted" observation. I'm pretty certain that the intermediate wavelength that's working with Kenket's red-shifted colors re-enforcing black, fits in with the way reds drop out of the visible spectrum fairly shallowly in water but blues are still perceptible further down.

THIS! I started typing something along these lines before seeing this. I think its also kinda displayed by the fact that red is the first color to drop from our vision when lighting is limited, kinda like how he talks about moonlight LOOKING bluish but actually being the full spectrum, and how our eyes handle the limited light with reds and warm colors.

It's known as the Purkinje Effect. I've added a link to more information on it. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purkinje_effect

Thanks!

Hmmm... maybe colors with inherently more pigment (like darker reds and browns) don't cause the eye to detract the absence of color as much from the black it's next to. I tossed some paint together in SAI to see what the different colors looked like swirling together, and while some lighter, or super bright colors contrasted heavily with the black, maybe my eye had to 'make sense' of the contrast and unknowingly lightened the black :D

Rambly rambly. But you are right.. gotta be some science either with the colors themselves or our perception of those colors in comparison :D

I'd be willing to bet it has something to do with the relative long wavelength of red light compared to other colors. Red's on the lowest end of the visible color spectrum, so perhaps that perceived depth comes about because of it. Or perhaps it has to do with the cone cells in the eye being stimulated by the added red. Of course, there's always the possibility I'm pulling this completely out of my butt. ;)

You know, that could make sense. I'll be honest, I have no goddamn clue. But of the ideas I've read so far this one seems to be most likely.

i never really noticed. i guess it's similar to how white can seem whiter with a hint of blue.

I'd say magic but this is a matter that will require further investigation. >:T

This is a common thing in the offset printing industry, lots of print houses keep their rich black build a secret! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_black

That's a nifty thing I didn't know before. Thanks!

It may be similar to the reasons that complimenting colors always appear to glow if you put them directly next to each other?

"similarly happens with the colors purple and pink, These aren't colors in the spectrum, it's your brain- essentially- pulling an error 404- Pink and purple are simply the easiest interpretation. In order to actually perceive either one of those, our eyes would have to transcend the current spectrum.

At least this is what I've come to understand, it's always subject to discussion and correction."

It's not really open at all. Physics and biology explain it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color

it deepens the color when adding other shades, making it more visually interesting. A good tip I remember is adding dark purple to black as well.

Most conventional blacks are made with blue. So, what you're getting is not unlike a complimentary effect.

If you want the blackest blacks, I recommend painting with carcinogens!

Because you're a Raven, that's why. >:I Now go change your batteries!

You got your dark black paint mixed up with your slightly darker black.

I remember when I was a print designer we used to use registration color, or black with additional C,Y,M, to get a deeper black. I assume that's because the black in ink is usually a very deep brown or a very deep blue. Adding the additional colors stops more of the light spectrum from bouncing off of it, in other words more color is absorbed.

Just a link to something similar to what I just posted: http://forums.quark.com/t/13734.aspx

I would assume saturation

I have go along with some of the things the folks that have worked with printing are talking about. When I was looking into mixing ink for my fountain pens I ran into the ideas of different forms of the color black. There is the Rich Black like mentioned above also cool blacks, warm blacks, neutral blacks. Black has a few different forms. Each has there different effects.

Blahblahblah sciencymumbojumbo indubitably...
Cuz reasons.
:p

Blahblahblah sciencymumbojumbo indubitably...
Cuz reasons.
:p

Probably just has to do with the optical perception of the eyes and brain.

It's about contrasts. similalry if you add a dark blue/purple, you get a more optical true 'black' then in a digital RGB of 0,0,0.

Also, scientists have proven/tested and found that a mirror is actually blue. they tested the color of things naturally, and reflected, and found a minor 'blue shift' in the colors, similar to how they tell how far away a distant star/sun is.

Never tried with reds, usually it's blues I see it with.

Black's not a color... I think the human eye and brain just process pure black as a shadow. But a hint of color mixed to the black makes it more "real" for the perception.

I remember for my old color teaching that certain colors make other color contrast more, like the combination yello black is the most visible and that´s why is used for warning signs
Don´t remember the theory behind that...

This will be all cleared up when they put out the next brain upgrade.

It's obviously a matter of black magic. ;D

When my drawing professor was telling us how to make slides of our works (that should be a clue as to how long ago this was), she told us photographing them against white backgrounds muted the colors in the work, black backgrounds made the colors artificially intense, and grey makes the colors register accurately.