What are the Primary Colors of Light

Have you ever tried holding a prism against the sunlight? What do you observe? You can see a spectrum of light in different colors called the rainbow. This light spectrum consists of colors that together make up the white light. The spectrum of light or rainbow is made up of seven colors. But, not all of these 7 colors make up the white light. There are three primary colors of light that mix together to form the white light.

What are the Primary Colors of Light?

There are seven colors that make up the rainbow. These colors of the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Of these there are 3 primary colors of light. These three are as follows:

• Red
• Green
• Blue

When the wavelengths of these 3 primary colors combine properly, they are able to produce the white light. When these 3 primary colors are mixed with each other, they form different colors. They are also known as the additive colors. Let us have a look at the different colors formed by mixing the three primary colors.

Blue + Green = Cyan

Red + Blue = Magenta

Red + Green = Yellow

Red + Green + Blue = White

What are the Primary Colors of Pigments?

The secondary colors produced by mixing these three primary colors of light are cyan, magenta and yellow. These are the three primary colors of pigments. They are called subtractive primaries. When the wavelengths of red and cyan, green and magenta or blue and yellow light combine, it leads to production of white light. This is why these colors are known as the complementary colors. When mixed together, the three primary colors of pigments form different colors as follows:

Cyan + Yellow = Green

Cyan + Magenta = Green

Yellow + Magenta = Green

Cyan + Magenta + Yellow = Black

What are the Primary Colors on a Painter's Color Wheel?

The primary colors used in for basic art, especially painting is red, yellow and blue. These three primary colors are found on the painter's color wheel. The secondary colors formed by mixing these three colors are violet, organ and green. They form a triad of 3 colors on a wheel. Red, yellow, blue and green are considered as the three primary colors of psychology. They are used to study theeffects of colors on our body.

The color spectrum chart contains yellow, green, cyan, blue, magenta and red. The complimentary or harmonizing colors are kept adjacent to each other. Whereas, the contrasting colors are separated from each other by placing another color between them.

The 3 primary colors of light are mostly used by artists and painters. The three primary colors of pigments are used in the print industry. This was all about what are the primary colors and pigmentation. Hope the information above helps you splash colors in your art work.