Additive vs. Subtractive Colour Mixing
Additive (left): Red + Green = Yellow, Red + Blue = Magenta, Green + Blue = Cyan, all three = White. This is how light works — screens, projectors, stage lighting. Governed by the CIE XYZ tristimulus model.
Subtractive (right): Cyan absorbs Red, Magenta absorbs Green, Yellow absorbs Blue. Combining all three ideally gives Black. This is how inks, paints and filters work. Perceived colour = incident spectrum × (1 − absorption).
Additive (left): Red + Green = Yellow, Red + Blue = Magenta, Green + Blue = Cyan, all three = White. This is how light works — screens, projectors, stage lighting. Governed by the CIE XYZ tristimulus model.
Subtractive (right): Cyan absorbs Red, Magenta absorbs Green, Yellow absorbs Blue. Combining all three ideally gives Black. This is how inks, paints and filters work. Perceived colour = incident spectrum × (1 − absorption).