A secondary colour is made by mixing two primary colours in equal parts within a particular colour model. The colour space can be from an additive colour model using different light wavelengths or a subtractive model using pigments or dyes.
- Secondary colours in additive colour models differ from spectral colours in a rainbow.
- A spectral colour is made by a single wavelength or a small range of wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
- A secondary colour within an additive model (such as the RGB colour model) comes from overlapping light wavelengths from three distinctly different parts of the visible spectrum.
- For humans, the best additive primary colours of light are red, green, and blue.
- The RGB colour model can create a vast range of colours.
- When all three primary (or secondary) colours are mixed together in equal proportions, the result is white.
- Because the RGB colour model involves adding different wavelengths of light together (additive colour), the resulting colour often appears lighter to a viewer than its components.
- In subtractive colour models, like the CMYK model used for printing, the primary colours are cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) plus black (K) which is used to produce darker shadows.
Related diagrams
Each diagram below can be viewed on its own page with a full explanation.
- A secondary colour is made by mixing two primary colours in equal parts within a particular colour model. The colour space can be from an additive colour model using different light wavelengths or a subtractive model using pigments or dyes.
- Secondary colours in additive colour models differ from spectral colours in a rainbow.
- A spectral colour is made by a single wavelength or a small range of wavelengths in the visible spectrum.
- A secondary colour within an additive model (such as the RGB colour model) comes from overlapping light wavelengths from three distinctly different parts of the visible spectrum.
- For humans, the best additive primary colours of light are red, green, and blue.
- The RGB colour model can create a vast range of colours.
- When all three primary (or secondary) colours are mixed together in equal proportions, the result is white.