Primary Colors:
Complementary Colors:
- The colors that cannot be obtained by mixing any other colors in any proportions are called primary colors.
- The primary colors of light are red, green and blue.
- These colors are also called basic colors of light.
- The reason for considering red,green and blue as primary colors is that all the other colors are made by mixing primary colors in suitable proportions.
Secondary Colors:
- The colors produced by mixing any two primary colors of light are called secondary colors or composite colors.
- Magenta, Cyan and Yellow are secondary colors.
- Complementary colors are the two colors, which give white light when mix together.
- Foe example, red and cyan are complementary colors because they produce white light on mixing together.
- In the same way, blue and yellow, and green and magenta are also complementary colors.
Note that for the "complementary" colors the sum of the values equals white light (1,1,1).For example:
- red(1,0,0) + cyan (0,1,1) =white (1,1,1)
- green (0,1,0) + magenta (1,0,1) = white (1,1,1)
- blue (0,0,1) + yellow (1,1,0) = white (1,1,1).
Color Triangle to show formation of secondary colors from primary colors:
- The colors present exactly opposite to each other in the triangle are complementary colors.
- The use of complementary colors is also common in our daily life.
- The best example of it is the mixing of indigo in lime during white washing of buildings.
- Actually, with the passage of time the colour of buildings becomes yellowish.
- Because blue colour is complementary colour of yellow colour so mixing of indigo in lime during white washing keeps the buildings white for a long time.