CMY colour model & colour perception

About the CMY colour model and colour perception

• A good starting point for understanding the CMY colour model is trichromatic colour theory.
  • Trichromatic colour theory explains the underlying physiological basis for the subjective experience of colour.
  • Trichromatic colour theory and its precursors have established that there are three types of cone cells (recognised by the initials L, M and S) in the human eye that carry out the initial stage of colour processing that ultimately produces the world of colours we see around us:
    • L = Long (500–700 nm)
    • M = Medium (440 – 670 nm)
    • S = Short (380 – 540 nm)
• Trichromatic colour theory also states that three monochromatic light sources, one red, one green, and one blue, when mixed together in different proportions, can stimulate the L, M, and S cones to produce the perception of any colour within the visible spectrum.
• All colour models, such as the RGB and CMY models, have their foundations rooted in the trichromatic principles of human vision