Mixing Colors in a Spectrum
Mixing two colors that are close in the spectrum gives an intermediate color between them.
Mixing magenta and red produces magenta hues that are not part of the spectrum.
Thus, the multiplicity of colors turns out to be not only continuous, but also closed.
Mixing colors that are not close to the spectrum always leads to a loss of saturation, that is, mixing white or gray.
The Color Wheel Principle
The sum of the two colors can be mixed with the third color. The mixing effect does not depend on how each of the mixed colors is composed.
When mixed, each color, no matter how complex, is perceived as a simple color — like a dot on the color wheel.
Newtonian color triad
Newton realized that you can choose three spectral colors by mixing them in different quantities, you can get all or almost all the colors of the color wheel.
Such a color triad is considered to be as follows:
• red;
• green;
• blue.
Red, green, and blue are considered the primary colors of the Newtonian color system.
RGB Color Model
Over time, this triad became known as the three-channel RGB color model
(from the English Red - Green - Blue, Red - Green - Blue).
It is used exclusively in light coloring and should not be confused with mixing pigments.
Additive Color Mixing
Basic additive colors:
• red;
• green;
• blue.
When additive colors are combined, white is formed.
Additional colors appear when the rays of the primary colors are combined:
• red + green – yellow;
• red + blue – purple;
• The combination of the three main colors is white.
Additive color mixing is a color synthesis technique based on adding colors to objects emitting directly.
Subtractive color synthesis
Subtractive synthesis is a method of synthesis based on subtracting elements from each other.
Subtractive color synthesis consists of obtaining color by subtracting individual spectral components from spectrally homogeneous white light. This is the final step in the process of reproducing color using the subtractive method.
Subtractive colors
The main subtractive colors are:
• yellow;
• blue;
• Red.
When the main subtractive colors are mixed, black is formed.
Complementary colors are formed when the pigments of the main colors are mixed:
• red + yellow – orange;
• red + blue – purple;
• The combination of the three main colors is black.
Conclusion
The first works with light and the addition of radiation, the second with pigments and subtraction of spectral components.
Understanding the differences between these techniques is fundamental to working with color in design, printing, digital environments, and manufacturing.