EditDifferent Color Models
Color behaves in different ways. Light looks different to our eyes than mixtures of paints or inks, and this can create some confusion. As a graphic designer you have probably heard of the color modes known as RGB" and "CMYK", but do you know which mode to use, and when?
EditRGB
The RBG (red, green, blue) color mode is most often used when working with light - images that will be displayed back-lit on a television or computer monitor, as is the case with web design. Because of the way that light is emitted, red, green and blue are the primary colors when working with light. If you look very closely at your television you will see that the colors displayed on your screen are made up of tiny red, green, and blue dots. When these three colors are mixed together equally they create white, and when none are present the screen appears black. This color model is known as "additive color", and in this method the secondary colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow.
Picture yourself sitting in a dark classroom. The complete absence of light means that the wall across from you is black. Now, if the people sitting behind you were to turn on a red light, a green light, and a blue light, the lights would combine as follows:
Red and green make yellow light, green and blue combine to make cyan, and blue and red make magenta. When red, green and blue combine equally, they make white light.
EditCMYK
CMYK is more often used when applying ink or paint to a paper or canvas (though this is not
always the case; always ask your printer how they want your files set up). This color model is called "subtractive color". In this model the color does not give off light of its own, but reflects light from other sources. In this mode, white is the absence of color, and black is created by mixing the three primary colors in equal amounts.
To visualize this, picture yourself sitting in front of a white painter's canvas. If you were to paint overlapping circles of cyan, magenta and yellow, the colors would combine as follows:
Cyan and magenta mix to make blue, magenta and yellow mix to make red, and yellow and cyan mix to make green. Black is a mixture of all colors, and the white background is the blank canvas, with no paint (or ink) present.
EditResources
For more information about color, be sure to see our
Color Theory and
Color Meaning wikis.
For more information about choosing a color scheme, be sure to check out the
Color Resources posted in the Designer Today Forum!