There are two ways to combine the three basic colours (called the three primary colours) to create other colours: additive colour mixing and subtractive colour mixing. The three primary colours used in additive colour mixing are blue (B), green (G), and red (R), while those used in subtractive colour mixing are yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). In this section, we will examine the connection between the "three primary colours of light"and the "three primary colours of pigment," and how they relate to additive colour mixing and subtractive colour mixing.

The three primary colours of light

The three primary colours of light are blue (B), green (G), and red (R). These three colours are combined using additive colour mixing to reproduce the range of visible colours. Since additive colour mixing works by adding different colours of light on top of each other, the more light that is mixed the brighter the result becomes. Mixing the three primary colours equally produces white light. An example of the use of additive colour mixing to reproduce colours by mixing the three primary colours of light is the colour television.

The three primary colours of pigment

The three primary colours of pigment are yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C). These three colours are combined using subtractive colour mixing to reproduce the range of visible colours. Subtractive colour mixing differs from additive colour mixing not because it involves light, but because it involves mixing the surface colours (the reflected colours: the colours resulting from the specific range of wavelengths absorbed by the pigment) of various pigments. The more pigments that are added the darker the result, and mixing three primary colours equally produces black. Examples of the use of subtractive colour mixing to reproduce colours by mixing the three primary colours of pigment are colour copiers and colour printers.

Yellow (Y)

Yellow pigment absorbs blue light while reflecting green and red light. This causes it to appear yellow in colour to the human eye.

Magenta (M)

Magenta pigment absorbs green light while reflecting red and blue light. This causes it to appear magenta in colour to the human eye.

Cyan (C)

Cyan pigment absorbs red light while reflecting green and blue light. This causes it to appear cyan in colour to the human eye.