Color Theory and Applications Langara College
The Human Visible Spectrum
1666 – Isaac Newton discovers that color is light and subsequently creates the first color wheel
white light à colored light à white light (prism) (prism)
Newton prism diagram
Newton’s Color Wheel
Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
Hue The attribute of a color defined by it’s dominant wavelength and therefore position in the visible spectrum. Hue is what we normally mean when we ask “What color is it?”
Moses Harris –Color wheel The Natural System of Colours 1766
*color star developed by Charles Blanc - 1867
Light hits the tomato All colors are absorbed by the tomato – EXCEPT: Red
*and whatever smaller degrees of other colors are present
These color(s) are reflected off of the tomato and into the eye, hitting the rods and cones at the back of the eye Then sent to the brain for interpretation
Color Models
Additive Color (RGB)
Subtractive Color (CMY) (CMYK)
Additive Color (RGB) Red, Green, Blue The mixing of red, green and blue light to create white light (when each is mixed in equal strength) -or to create one of the millions of other colors when mixed selectively This is the color system of screen displays and digital image capture systems
Subtractive Color (CMY) Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (CMYK) Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key
The color model describing the primary colors of reflected light: cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY)
CMYK is for print, or ink based output It is a subtractive model C – Cyan M – Magenta Y – Yellow K – Black (Key) Black is also called “key” because all the other plates in the printing process are “keyed” or aligned with the black plate
Additive Color System RGB
Subtractive Color System CMY
Each spectrum has it’s own range (gamut) This is very important to remember when designing Â
CcMmYK A six color printing process used in some inkjet printers optimized for photo printing. It extends the customary four color CMYK process by adding light cyan (photo cyan) and light magenta (photo magenta).