Overlapping Beams of C M & Y Make White

When white light strikes an object, its colour is determined by which wavelengths of light are absorbed and which wavelengths are reflected towards the observer.

White light is the name for light containing all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum.

White light contains all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum at equal intensity.

Although pure white light is perceived as colourless, it actually contains all colours in the visible spectrum.

White light is the term for visible light that contains all wavelengths of the visible spectrum at equal intensities.

• The sun emits white light because sunlight contains all the wavelengths of the visible spectrum in roughly equal proportions.
• Light travelling through a vacuum or a medium is termed white light if it includes all wavelengths of visible light.
• Light travelling through a vacuum or air is not visible to our eyes unless it interacts with something.

• The term white light can have two meanings:
  • It can refer to a combination of all wavelengths of visible light travelling through space, regardless of observation.
  • What a person sees when all colours of the visible spectrum hit a white or neutral-coloured surface.

Primary colours are a set of colours from which others can be produced by mixing (pigments, dyes etc.) or overlapping (coloured lights).

• The human eye, and so human perception, is tuned to the visible spectrum and so to spectral colours between red and violet. It is the sensitivity of the eye to the electromagnetic spectrum that results in the perception of colour.
• A set of primary colours is a set of pigmented media or coloured lights that can be combined in varying amounts to produce a wide range of colours.
• This process of combining colours to produce other colours is used in applications intended to cause a human observer to experience a particular range of colours when represented by electronic displays and colour printing.
• Additive and subtractive models have been developed that predict how wavelengths of visible light, pigments and media interact.
• RGB colour is a technology used to reproduce colour in ways that match human perception.
• The primary colours used in a colour space such as CIELAB, NCS, Adobe RGB (1998) and sRGB are the result of an extensive investigation of the relationship between visible light and human colour vision.

The CMY colour model deals with a subtractive method of colour mixing. It can be used to explain and provide practical methods of combining three transparent inks and filters (cyan, magenta and yellow) to produce a wide range of other colours and particularly to produce realistic effects when printing digital images onto highly reflective white paper.

• The primary colours in the CMY colour model are cyan, magenta and yellow.
• The CMY colour model is a subtractive colour model used with transparent or translucent inks or filters.
• Meanwhile, the CMYK colour model (sometimes called four-colour or process printing) uses the same three primary colours as CMY but uses a fourth component, black ink (K), to increase the density of darker colours and blacks.
• The CMYK colour model along with its system of notation enables an exact and reproducible approach to colour printing and other similar applications.
• The CMYK colour model is deeply embedded in all contemporary digital printer technologies and underpins industrial standards for the printing industry.
• Find out more here https://lightcolourvision.org/dictionary/definition/cmy-colour-model/

A colour model is a system or framework used to understand, organise, and manipulate colour. It ranges from basic concepts, such as the sequence of colours in a rainbow, to more advanced models like RGB, CMYK, and CIE, which are essential for accurate colour reproduction in various fields, including digital media, printing, and manufacturing.

• A colour model, underpinned by colour theory, provides a precise and replicable approach to understanding:
  • How the human eye perceives light and interprets colour.
  • Different types of colour, including those produced by mixing lights, pigments, or inks.
  • How to manage the diverse ways colour is processed by devices such as cameras, digital screens, and printers.
• Colour models enable us to:
  • Make sense of colour in relation to human vision and the world around us.
  • Use colours in logical, predictable, and replicable ways.
  • Understand how to mix specific colours, whether using lights, pigments, inks, or dyes.
  • Specify colours using names, codes, notations, or equations.
  • Organise and apply colour for different purposes, from fabrics and interiors to vehicles.

• For more information see https://lightcolourvision.org/dictionary/definition/colour-model/