Mixing Colors Chapter Notes

White Light Recall that when the frequencies of all visible light is mixed together, it produces white White also results when red, blue, and green light is mixed together Red and green makes yellow Red and blue makes magenta Green and blue makes cyan (a greenish blue color)

Frequencies of Light The frequencies of white light can be divided into three categories: Lower-frequency red end Middle-frequency green part Higher-frequency blue end To the human eye, the lower and middle frequencies combine to from yellow, the middle and high combine to form cyan, and the high and low combine to form magenta Red, green, and blue produce the highest number of different colors, and for this reason, they are called additive primary colors

Complementary Colors When two colors are added together to produce white, they are called complementary colors When two of the three additive primary colors are combined: red + green = yellow red + blue = magenta blue + green = cyan When we add in the third color, we get white: yellow + blue = white magenta + green = white cyan + red = white Therefore, yellow and blue are complementary, magenta and green are complementary, and cyan and red are complementary

Mixing Additive Primary Colors

Summary of Additive Colors When two of the three additive primary colors are mixed together (red, blue, or green), we get either yellow, magenta, or cyan White light is formed if the complementary color of yellow, magenta, or cyan is added to it If you start with white light and subtract a color from it, you will end up with its complementary color White – blue = yellow White – green = magenta White – red = cyan

Mixing Pigments Mixing pigments, like paint, is not the same as mixing colored light If we mix red, blue, and green paint, we will get brown, not white like we do when we mix red, blue, and green light Paints and dyes are made of solid particles of pigment that produce their colors by absorbing light of certain frequencies and reflecting light of other frequencies When paints or dyes are mixed, the mixture absorbs all the frequencies each paint or dye in it absorbs

Color Mixing by Subtraction Blue paint reflects mostly blue light, as well as violet and green; it absorbs red, orange, and yellow light Yellow paint reflects mostly yellow light, as well as red, orange, and green; it absorbs blue and violet light When you mix blue and yellow paint together, it appears green because green is the only color that both reflect and neither absorb This process is called color mixing by subtraction, and it is the mixing of paints and dyes The mixing of colored light is called color mixing by addition

Subtractive Primary Colors The subtractive primary colors are yellow, magenta, and cyan

Mixing Subtractive Primary Colors