PRIMARY COLORS: WHAT ARE THEY AND COMBINATION - SCIENCE - 2025

The primary colors are those that can not be achieved by mixing other colors. They are also known as primitive tones and this categorization responds to the way human eyes perceive the frequencies of light.

Using primary colors it is possible to mix a wider range of tones and create new colors (secondary or tertiary). From these colors the chromatic circle or color wheel is built.

The primary colors according to the traditional model are red, yellow and blue. RYB (red, yellow, blue)

The human eye is designed to perceive three specific tones independently. These tones can stimulate the receptors and, from this stimulation, generate very wide combinations that give rise to the different colors that humans are capable of perceiving.

In other words, the human eye perceives the three primary colors and is capable of creating combinations thanks to different physiological processes, always depending on the proportion of color stimuli it receives from the environment.

The primary colors that will be described below are directly linked to the way humans perceive. That is, other beings have different capacities to perceive light: they have different receptors in terms of characteristics and quantity, thanks to which the dynamics of identifying tones is different.

What are the primary colors?

- Additive primary colors (RGB)

This classification of primary colors is directly related to light. These are shades whose union tends to white because they are based on light emissions.

The additive primary colors are red, green, and blue. This categorization is widely used to represent tones in elements that work through light emissions, such as screens in general.

Computer programs identify this trio of colors through their acronym in English (RGB) or in Spanish (RVA), and it is a well-known convention.

As mentioned before, mixing the three primary colors in different proportions allows it to be possible to represent the entire range of tones that exists, and when these are combined with each other in equal proportions, the tone that is produced is white.

Shades in light

This categorization is also known as colors in light and this consideration can be evidenced through a simple experiment.

If we are in a completely dark room and we illuminate with three bulbs, one red, one green and one blue, it is possible to detect the different tones that are generated by superimposing the bulbs, combining them with each other.

When we direct all the bulbs towards the same point, taking care that the intensity of each light stimulus is equal, a white tone will appear at the junction point of all the lights.

Likewise, from the absence of the primary tones black arises; This responds to the fact that the human eye is not able to recognize the tones in its environment if there is no light present in the space.

- Subtractive primary colors (CMY)

They are also known as the colors in the pigment, and they differ from the previous ones because they are based on the mixture of dyes or any type of pigment.

That is, the base element on which the subtractive primary colors emerge are pigments that, thanks to their own characteristics, naturally absorb specific wavelengths and reflect others.

This implies that these stimuli reach human eyes after having absorbed and reflected light. Information about the tones that people decode comes from a different process than the one that generates tones in light.

The subtractive primary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow. The combination of all the subtractive tones tends to black, unlike what happened with the tones in light. Conventionally, they are known by the acronym in English CMY; cyan (C), magenta (M) and yellow, marillo (Y).

Since these colors are directly related to the relationship between the pigments and the wavelengths they absorb, the classification of subtractive primary tones is widely used in items that need to be printed, such as posters, books, banners, and other such objects.

Light absorption

Subtractive primary colors are characterized by absorbing the light emitted by additive tones.

From these stimuli, each pigment adopts specific characteristics and is capable of reflecting certain waves of light, which are finally perceived by the human eye as a particular shade.

For this reason, it is considered that the subtractive tones and the additives are complementary to each other: the former are based on the latter to arise, and offer different stimuli that the organs of vision of people are able to identify and interpret.

- Traditional primary colors (Model RYB)

It is made up of the following colors: yellow, blue and red.

Traditionally we are taught this, but although it is a good approximation, this classification is considered obsolete by science and industry.

This model was the forerunner of the CMY model.

Primary color scheme

From the primary colors, all the tones that humans can perceive can be generated, so the combinations that arise from these colors are abundant and very varied among themselves.

Let's see below which are the main combinations, considering both additive and subtractive primary colors.

Additive primary color combination (red, green, blue)

By mixing the additive shades, four main combinations can be generated. It is worth noting that three of these are obtained by combining two of the three colors because, as we have mentioned previously, when the three tones are mixed in the same proportions, the tone that emerges is white.

For the first mixture, green and blue tones are taken, and the color that is generated is cyan. The second mixture combines the colors green and red, from which the yellow tone arises.

The third mix is ​​based on the blue and red tones and the color that is generated is magenta. And finally, by combining the three tones in equal quantities, white is generated.

As we can see, the colors that are generated by combining the additive tones are the subtractive primary colors.

Subtractive primary color scheme (cyan, magenta, yellow)

In the case of subtractive primary colors it is also possible to make four different combinations. As we mentioned earlier, mixing these four shades in exact proportions produces black.

We will start by mixing the yellow and cyan colors, which generates the green tone. On the other hand, from the combination of yellow with magenta, the color red arises.

A third mix involves magenta and cyan tones, from which the color blue emerges. Finally, the mixture of the three colors generates black.

In this case we also see how the tones that have been generated from the combinations correspond to the additive primary colors. For this reason, it is considered that both types of primary tones are complementary.

References

1. "Primary color" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
2. "Additive synthesis and subtractive synthesis" in La Prestampa. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from La Prestampa: laprestampa.com
3. "Additive Color Mix" in Prolux. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Prolux: prolux.cl
4. "Primary colors" at HyperPhysics, Georgia State University. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from HyperPhysics, Georgia State University: hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu
5. "Introduction to the Primary Colors" at Olympus. Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from Olympus: olympus-lifescience.com
6. Konstantinovsky, M. “Primary Colors Are Red, Yellow and Blue, Right? Well, Not Exactly ”in How stuff works? Retrieved on November 26, 2019 from How stuff works ?: science.howstuffworks.com