COLOR THEORY
Additive color theory
• Additive color mixing is creating a new color by a process that adds one set of wavelength by a
process that adds one set of wavelength to another set of wavelength.
• Additive color mixing is what happens when lights of different wavelengths are mixed.
• When we add all of the wavelengths of sunlight, we see white light rather than many individual
colors.
• It is called additive because all of the wavelengths still reach our eyes.
• It is the combination of the different wavelengths that creates the diversity of colors by means of
an addition.
• Additive theories concern optical combination of colored light sources and are usually modelled
on RGB.
• Additive colors are color which are pure i.e. colors add up to form white light.
• Additive color mixing starts with black and gradually adds light.
Here, Primary colors are Red, Green and Blue
Secondary colors are Cyan, Magenta and yellow
Primary RED covers the larger wavelength.
Primary GREEN covers the middle wavelength.
Primary BLUE covers the shorter wavelength.
If we mix Red, Green and Blue, then we will get
WHITE.
Subtractive color theory
• Subtractive color mixing theory is creating a new color by the removal of wavelengths from a
light.
• Subtractive color mixing occurs when we mix paints, dyes or pigments.
• When we mix paints, both paints will absorb all of the wavelengths they did previously, so what
we are left with is only the wavelengths that both paints reflect.
• It is called subtractive because when we mix paints, the wavelengths are deleted from what we
see because each paint will absorb some wavelengths that the other paint reflects, thus leaving
us with a lesser number of wavelengths remaining afterward.
• Subtractive colors are impure in nature.
• Subtractive theories are usually modelled on RYB or CMYK.
• CMYK is mainly preferable for printing inks and magazines. On the other hand, RYB is commonly
used in textile industries and paints purposes.
CMYK Model RYB model
• In CMYK color theory model, Primary colors are Cyan,
Magenta and yellow
• Secondary colors are Red, Green and Blue
• The k in CMYK indicates another color in there and that is
black. This is because we are unable to get a true black
when mixing colors using CYM, so we add black to solve that
problem.
• In RYB color theory model,
Primary colors are Red, Yellow
and Blue.
• Secondary colors are Orange,
Violet and Green.
• When we add Red, Yellow and
blue, we will get Black
Primary colors
The primary colors are the base colors or starting
colors in each color system. We will be using these
colors to create all the other colors we need. However,
we cannot mix other colors to create the primary
colors within each system. For example, in the RYB
system we can mix yellow and blue to make green, but
there is no color combination to create yellow.
Secondary colors
If we were to mix two of the primary colors
together we will get a new color. This new color
mixed from the two primary colors is called
a secondary color. For example, in the RYB
system, red and yellow mix to make orange.
Tertiary colors
The tertiary colors are all the rest of the colors
in the color spectrum. We can get a tertiary
color by mixing a primary and a secondary, or
two secondary colors. We can adjust the hue of
the tertiary color by the amount of each color
that is mixed together. For example, we know
that yellow and blue make green but we can
control what kind of green we make. If we add
more yellow then blue we get a yellower blue. If
we add more blue than yellow we get a bluer
green.
Complementary colors
• Complementary colors are
combination of two colors that
can be mixed together in equal
intensities to produce white (in
terms of additive mixing) or
black (in terms of subtractive
mixing).
• For example, complementary
color of yellow is purple in RYB
color wheel. It is the opposite
color in color wheel.
How can we produce gray color?
• By combining three primary colors, the resulting color can be called
Primary gray.
• Here, primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
• Mixing equal parts should produce a flat gray, but tints can be created
by using more or less of certain colors. Using more blue should result
in a cooler tone, but using more red or yellow can create warmer
tones.
Quiz
• A red shirt will absorb ----------------- light and reflect------------- light.
• A cyan shirt will absorb --------------- light and reflect ------------ light.
• A orange shirt will absorb -----------blue light and reflect ---------------
light.
• White – Magenta – Green =
• White – Yellow – Blue =
• White – Red – Green – Blue =
