Binocular Colour Vision

Which are the Primary Colours?

Primary colours are the basic colours from which all other colours can be created. They cannot be created from any mixture of other colours.  We give names to the primaries as if they are real but because of the nature of pigments, and the eye's response to light, there can be no perfect primaries in any of the colour systems.
    Secondary colours are defined as mixtures of two primary colours but this produces a wide range of colours.  Therefore secondary colours are not definite colours although Orange, Green and Purple are given as examples.  Also, an equal mixture of primaries rarely produces a 'pure' secondary; i.e. the most visually distinct Orange, Green or Purple.  Some adjustment is necessary because the visual system does not have a linear response to stimuli.

• No real-world colours (CIE Colour)
• Red and Green  (Retinex 'long wavelength' and 'short wavelength')
• Red, Yellow and Blue  (Artists' paint mixing)
• Red, Green and Blue  (Additive primaries for the computer screen)
• Red-Green and Yellow-Blue  (Psychological colours and human vision)
• Cyan, Magenta and Yellow  (Subtractive primaries and colour filters)
• Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black  (CMYK printing inks)

[Home] [Colour Theory] [Bicovi Demos] ["Whiter" Demos] [Sky Blue Viewing] [Artwork] [FAQ's] [Links]