Colour theory is based around the existence of three colors that, when mixed together, can produce all other colors. These colours, known as the primary colours, vary according to their application.

The three primary colors of light or Additive Colours are red, green, and blue (RGB).

The three primary colours of printing inks or Subtractive Colours are cyan, magenta and yellow (CMYK with the “K” standing for black)

The primary colours for painting and art theory or Colour Vision are red, yellow and blue (RYB).

As photographers, we are mainly concerned with the properties of light, so that is what we will concentrate on this blog.

Adapted by Caley Taylor from Chris Rutter’s, Color Theory Fundaementals for Digital Photography.