We explain what secondary colors are in each color model and the color wheel. Also, the primary and tertiary colors.
What are secondary colors?
Secondary colors are those obtained by mixing or combining primary or pure colors. Each group of secondary colors depends on the color model used.
In the traditional or RYB color model, the best known, the secondary colors are green, orange and violet. This model is named after the acronyms in English for its primary colors, which are red, yellow and blue. It is used for pigments applied directly to a surface, such as oils or tempera. You must read about Postal code once.
In the CMYK color model, the secondary colors are red, green, and blue. This model owes its name to the acronyms for cyan, magenta, and yellow (the primary colors of the model). It is used in traditional or digital printing methods. The “k” stands for key plate, which is used to highlight the black color.
In the RGB color model, the secondary colors are yellow, cyan, and magenta. The name of the model is due to the acronyms for its primary colors: red, green, and blue. The RGB model is used in the case of devices that emit light, such as screens or video projectors.
Color models and types of synthesis
Traditional or RYB model
The acronym for the RYB model comes from the English red, yellow, blue (red, yellow, and blue, which are the primary colors of the model). It is a subtractive synthesis model, since it subtracts light as the colors are applied and mixed, until reaching black. It is used in arts that apply pigments directly onto a support. By combining the primary colours of the RYB model, the following secondary colours can be obtained:
- Green (yellow + blue)
- Orange (yellow + red)
- Violet (red + blue)
RGB model
The acronym for the RGB model comes from the English red, green, blue (red, green and blue, which are the primary colours of the model). It is an additive colour model, which adds light with each colour combination, until reaching white. This model is used for devices that emit light, such as televisions, screens and monitors. By combining the primary colours of the RGB model, the following secondary colours can be obtained:
- Yellow (red + green)
- Cyan (green + blue)
- Magenta (red + blue)
CMYK model
The acronym for the CMYK model comes from the English cyan, magenta, yellow (cyan, magenta and yellow, which are the primary colours of the model) and black is usually added to them (represented by the K, for key plate or master printing plate) as a fourth “colour” to highlight the darkest details (which is why CMYK is also called four-colour printing).
It is a subtractive synthesis model, which loses light with each colour mixture. It is used in graphic arts for all printing media and devices, both traditional and laser. By combining the primary colours of the CMYK model, the following secondary colours can be obtained:
- Red (magenta + yellow)
- Green (yellow + cyan)
- Blue (cyan + magenta)
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The color wheel
The color wheel is a graphic and orderly representation of colors, arranged in a circle according to their tone or hue, and in which the primary and secondary colors can be identified.
It is a traditional method of representation to locate colors, in which more or less colors are included depending on the level of detail required: there may be color wheels of 6, 12, 24 or more colors. There are color wheels for each of the color models (RYB, RGB or CMYK).
The location of the colors within the color wheel also indicates both the affinity of the colors for their neighbors, as well as their relationship of complementary opposition with the colors arranged in front. For this reason, the color wheel is a central tool in the study of color.
Primary colors
Primary colors, also called pure colors, are those that in a given chromatic model are not obtained from any mixture, but are the fundamental colors from which all other colors are based.
This way of understanding color is an idealized model, since in reality white light (in which all colors are contained) is broken down into an infinite number of tones, among which the human eye can only distinguish a certain range. The eye has receptors for certain wavelengths. These receptors can be of three types: L, M and S, and are capable of capturing the colors red, green and blue, from which all the colors we perceive are composed.
According to the chromatic model, the primary colors are:
- Red, yellow and blue, according to the traditional or RYB model.
- Red, green and blue, according to the RGB model.
- Cyan, magenta and yellow, according to the CMYK model.
Tertiary colors
Tertiary colors, also called intermediate colors, are those obtained by mixing a primary or pure color with a secondary color. These are the predominant colors in nature and those that allow the greatest variety of tones, which is why they have historically been used by painters and artists.
In the CMYK and RGB color models there can be an infinite number of tertiary or intermediate colors. In the traditional color model (RYB) it is possible to distinguish these five:
- Carthusian, obtained by mixing green and yellow.
- Vermilion, obtained by mixing red and orange.
- Amber, obtained by mixing yellow and orange.
- Turquoise, obtained by mixing blue and green.
- Purple, obtained by mixing blue and magenta.
- Garnet, obtained by mixing red and purple.
Complementary colors
Complementary colors (or complementary opposites) are those that are located in antagonistic or contrary positions on the color wheel and that, when mixed, produce a neutral color (gray, white or black). In addition, when placed next to each other they generate the greatest possible contrast.
The color wheel usually uses the most saturated version of the colors. According to the traditional color model (RYB), the following are complementary colors:
- Blue and orange.
- Red and green.
- Yellow and violet.
