This is for a research paper and I used the term richness to refer to saturation and value. Is this a valid term to use for the combination of the two?
A paint that is "Rich in pigment" has a higher concentration of pigment (and less white filler). A paint that is rich in crimson or ultramarine pigment has high saturation. A paint that is rich in umber or black pigment has low saturation.
So the term "rich" can't be consistently translated into the "hue, saturation, value" system of designating colors. Some rich colors have high saturation, and some rich colors have low saturation.
"Rich" usually just means "a lot of". You have to gather from the context what it's describing.
- A rich cake has a lot of sugar and/or butter.
- A rich person has a lot of money.
I'm sure while reading a text about color,
people would gather that you are talking about a lot of color.
I don't think they'd recognize the connection with value though, unless you made a point to specify it in the text.