Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Reflected light, on the other hand, behaves differently. If you start with a
white source and reflect it off of a printed surface, the surface will absorb some
of the light. The reflected light will have some of its wavelengths subtracted
compared with the source. Cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) were chosen as the
primary colors of subtractive light in order to differentiate them from the RGB
system. In the CMY system, red, green, and blue are secondary colors. In theory,
if you mix cyan, magenta, and yellow paints, pigments, or inks, you should get
pure black (see Figure 3.8).
FIGURe 3.8
CMY are
subtractive primaries.
However, no real-world paints, pigments, or inks are perfect. Every painter knows
that if you mix multiple paints together, the result is a muddy brown, not black as
would match color theory. For this reason black (represented by the letter
K
) was
added to the subtractive primaries so that cyan, magenta, yellow, and black form a
four-color system called CMYK.
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If, like me, you learned in school that red, yellow, and blue (RYB) were the
primary colors used in painting, then you're probably confused by the CMYK
color system. The source of this confusion dates to Goethe's
Theory of Colors
(1810) wherein the German poet described color in terms of its psychologi-
cal effects. The RYB system is still taught in many art schools. However,
modern scientific color theory shows that the colors in the CMYK color system
are truly the subtractive primary colors. CMYK is used universally today in
professional offset printing presses.
