I did a search and came up with nothing regarding the physics of color, specifically why certain colors/shades can or cannot have the deep and wet look.
Here is what I know:
Color is hue, saturation, and intensity
-hue is the wavelength, red the longest and violet the shortest
-saturation is how "pure" the color is. Pink is red with white light, whereas monochromatic red has no white light.
-intensity: brightness of the color, highly dependent on the environment (sun, lights, etc)
black absorbs all the wavelengths, so it`s easy for a deep and wet look.
darker colors absorb a smaller range in the spectrum, but behave similar to black in regards to the deep and wet look.
monochromatic yellow and pink can`t do it as well because even if fully saturated, it appears that white light is present.
silver doesn`t absorb wavelengths like black and colors. It reflects most of the wavelengths, like a mirror. You can`t make a mirror have a "wet" or "deep" look. Silver is gray with metal flakes, right? So it`s kind of a less saturated black, even though saturation is for colors and not shades.
my deduction: the autopian result we all want, the deep and wet look, is saturation. That`s why white can never have the "look" since white = 0 saturation.
um, lemme know if my logic is wrong. Now where is my physics prof when I need him?
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