Light and Color There are 3 primary colors of light RED, GREEN, & BLUE When these colors of light are mixed… White Light is produced This process is called color addition

Color Addition (Light) Red + Green = Yellow Red + Blue = Magenta Blue + Green = Cyan Red + Green + Blue = White Yellow, Magenta, and Cyan are called the secondary colors of light because they are produced using 2 of the primary colors.

Pigments Pigments work on the principle of color subtraction. The light we see is reflected light. A pigment of a certain color will reflect only that color of light and absorb all other frequencies. Example: A blue shirt will reflect incident blue light and absorb red and green.

Primary Pigments The primary pigment colors are magenta, cyan, and yellow because they absorb only one frequency of color. Yellow absorbs blue and reflects red and green. Cyan absorbs red and reflects blue and green. Magenta absorbs green and reflects red and blue.

Color Subtraction (Pigments) Mixing pigments means that you will see only the color that both colors reflect. Red, Blue and Green are secondary pigments because they absorb 2 colors. Magenta + Yellow = Red Cyan + Magenta = Blue Yellow + Cyan = Green

Complementary Colors Yellow & Blue Cyan & Red Magenta & Green Complementary colors are the same for light & pigment. For light, complementary colors combine to make white. For pigment, complementary colors combine to make black.

Black and White White light is the mixture of all frequencies (colors) of light. A white surface will reflect all frequencies (colors) of light. Black is not a color! Black is the absence of any light. A black surface will absorb all incident light and reflect none.