Combining Red, Green & Blue Light
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This diagram explains what happens when red, green and blue primary colours are projected onto a dark surface so that they overlap.
What you need to remember:
- Mixing different wavelengths of light to produce other colours, is called an additive colour model or an additive approach to colour.
- Red, green and blue (RGB) are additive primary colours. This means that when these wavelengths of light are projected onto a dark surface they combined to produce other colours.
- If wavelengths of light corresponding with all three additive primary colours are projected in equal amounts onto a dark surface the result is white.
- If wavelengths of light corresponding with all three additive primary colours are projected in unequal amounts onto a dark surface many thousands of colours can be produced.
- Secondary colours are the colours produced when pairs of primary colours are combined in equal or unequal proportions.
Understanding the diagram:
- Three circles of light are projected onto a dark surface. These are the additive primary colours – red, green and blue.
- Where the primary colours overlap they produce the secondary colours – yellow, magenta and cyan.
- Where all three primary colours overlap they produce white.
- The bottom of the diagram shows which primary colours are mixed in pairs to produce each secondary colour.
Description
Combining Red, Green & Blue Light
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About the diagram
About the diagram
- This diagram explains what happens when red, green and blue primary colours are projected onto a dark surface so that they overlap.
What you need to remember
- Mixing different wavelengths of light to produce other colours, is called an additive colour model or an additive approach to colour.
- Red, green and blue (RGB) are additive primary colours. This means that when these wavelengths of light are projected onto a dark surface they combined to produce other colours.
- If wavelengths of light corresponding with all three additive primary colours are projected in equal amounts onto a dark surface the result is white.
- If wavelengths of light corresponding with all three additive primary colours are projected in unequal amounts onto a dark surface many thousands of colours can be produced.
- Secondary colours are the colours produced when pairs of primary colours are combined in equal or unequal proportions.
Understanding the diagram
- Three circles of light are projected onto a dark surface. These are the additive primary colours – red, green and blue.
- Where the primary colours overlap they produce the secondary colours – yellow, magenta and cyan.
- Where all three primary colours overlap they produce white.
- The bottom of the diagram shows which primary colours are mixed in pairs to produce each secondary colour.
Spectral and RGB colours
- Spectral colour should not be confused with RGB colour.
- Spectral colours are components of the visible spectrum.
- RGB colours are produced by mixing wavelengths of light corresponding with the three additive primary colours, red, green and blue.
- A diagram of spectral colour is usually presented in the form of a continuous linear spectrum organised by wavelength, so with red at one end and violet at the other.
- A diagram of RGB colour is often represented in the form of a colour wheel and shows the colours produced by mixing adjacent colours on the wheel.
Some key terms
White light
Electromagnetic spectrum
Visible spectrum
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