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Asecondary color is acolor made bymixing twoprimary colors of a givencolor model in even proportions. Combining one secondary color and a primary color in the same manner produces a tertiary color. Secondary colors are special intraditional color theory andcolor science.
Intraditional color theory, it is believed that all colors can be mixed from three universal primary - or pure - colors, which were originally believed to be red, yellow and blue pigments (representing theRYB color model). However, moderncolor science does not recognize universal primary colors and only defines primary colors for a givencolor model orcolor space.RGB andCMYK color models are popular color models in modern color science, but are only chosen as efficient primaries, in that their combination leads to a large gamut. However, any three primaries can produce a viable color gamut. The RYB model continues to be used and taught as a color model for practicalcolor mixing in thevisual arts.
A secondary color is an even mixture of two primary colors. For a givencolor model, secondary colors have no special meaning, but are useful when comparing additive and subtractive color models.
An intermediate color is any mixture of a secondary and a primary color. They are often visualized aseven mixtures, but intermediate colors can arise from any mixture proportion. Therefore any color that is not a secondary or primary color is an intermediate color.
Tertiary color has two common, conflicting definitions, depending on context.
In traditionalcolor theory, which applies mostly to practical painting, a tertiary color is aneven mixture between two secondary colors, i.e. a mixture of three primaries in 1:2:1 proportion. This definition is used by color theorists, such as Moses Harris[1] and Josef Albers.[2] The result is approximately a less saturated form of the dominant primary color of the mixture. Under this definition, a color model has 3 tertiary colors.
More recently, an alternative definition has emerged that is more applicable to digital media, where a tertiary color is an intermediate color resulting from aneven mixture of a primary and a secondary color, i.e. a mixture of the primaries in 3:1:0 proportion. The result yields a maximum saturation for a given hue. Under this definition, a color model has 6 tertiary colors.
A quaternary color is a seldom-used descriptor that is the conceptual extension of a tertiary color. Quaternary colors have no special use or status in color theory or color science.
Under the traditional definition, a quaternary color is the even mixture of two tertiary colors, as demonstrated byCharles Hayter. These quaternary colors have contributions from all three primaries in 3-3-2 proportions, so are very desaturated (even mixtures of three primaries gives a neutral color: zero saturation). Under this definition, a color model has 3 quaternary colors.
Under the modern definition, a quaternary color is the even mixture of a tertiary color with either a secondary or primary color. Quaternary colors are sometimes given a maximum saturation for their hue. Under this definition, a color model has 12 quaternary colors.
TheRGB color model is anadditive mixing model, used to estimate the mixing of colored light, with primary colorsred,green, andblue. The secondary colors areyellow,cyan andmagenta as demonstrated here:
| red | (●) | + | green | (●) | = | yellow | (●) |
| green | (●) | + | blue | (●) | = | cyan | (●) |
| blue | (●) | + | red | (●) | = | magenta | (●) |
TheCMY color model is an analogoussubtractive mixing color model, used to estimate the mixing of colored pigments, with primary colorscyan,magenta, andyellow, equivalent to the secondary colors of the RGB color model. The secondary colors of the CMY model areblue,red andgreen, equivalent to the primary colors of the RGB model, as demonstrated here:
| cyan | (●) | + | magenta | (●) | = | blue | (●) |
| magenta | (●) | + | yellow | (●) | = | red | (●) |
| yellow | (●) | + | cyan | (●) | = | green | (●) |
Under the modern definition, the 6 tertiary colors are conceptually equivalent between the color models, and can be described by the even combinations of a primary and a secondary color:
| red | (●) | + | yellow | (●) | = | orange | (●) |
| yellow | (●) | + | green | (●) | = | chartreuse | (●) |
| green | (●) | + | cyan | (●) | = | spring green | (●) |
| cyan | (●) | + | blue | (●) | = | azure | (●) |
| blue | (●) | + | magenta | (●) | = | violet | (●) |
| magenta | (●) | + | red | (●) | = | rose | (●) |
A color model is a conceptual model and does not have specifically defined primary colors. Acolor space based on the RGB color model, most commonlysRGB, has defined primaries and can be used to visualize the color mixing and yield approximate tertiary colors. Also note that the color terms applied to tertiary and quaternary colors are not well-defined.
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RYB is asubtractive mixing color model, used to estimate the mixing of pigments (e.g. paint) in traditional color theory, with primary colorsred,yellow, andblue. The secondary colors aregreen,purple, andorange as demonstrated here:
| red | (●) | + | yellow | (●) | = | orange | (●) |
| yellow | (●) | + | blue | (●) | = | green | (●) |
| blue | (●) | + | red | (●) | = | purple | (●) |
Under the modern definition (as even combinations of a primary and a secondary color), tertiary colors are typically named by combining the names of the adjacent primary and secondary color.[3][4] However, these tertiary colors have also been ascribed with common names:amber/marigold (yellow-orange),vermilion/cinnabar (red-orange),magenta/burgundy/wine (red-purple),violet (blue-purple),teal/aqua (blue-green), andchartreuse/lime green (yellow-green). The 6 tertiary colors are given:
| red | (●) | + | orange | (●) | = | red-orange | (●) | ~ | vermilion |
| orange | (●) | + | yellow | (●) | = | yellow-orange[5] | (●) | ~ | amber |
| yellow | (●) | + | green | (●) | = | yellow-green | (●) | ~ | chartreuse |
| green | (●) | + | blue | (●) | = | blue-green[5] | (●) | ~ | teal |
| blue | (●) | + | purple | (●) | = | blue-purple | (●) | ~ | violet |
| purple | (●) | + | red | (●) | = | red-purple | (●) | ~ | magenta |
Approximate colors and color names are given for the tertiary and quaternary colors. However, the names for the twelve quaternary colors are quite variable, and defined here only as an approximation.
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Under the traditional definition, there are three tertiary colors, approximately namedrusset (orange–purple),slate (purple–green), andcitron (green–orange), with the corresponding three quaternary colorsplum (russet–slate),sage (slate–citron),buff (citron–russet) (witholive sometimes used for either slate or citron).[7][8] In every level of mixing, saturation of the resultant decreases and mixing two quaternary colors approaches gray.
The RYB color terminology outlined above and in the color samples shown below is ultimately derived from the 1835 bookChromatography, an analysis of the RYB color wheel byGeorge Field, a chemist who specialized in pigments and dyes.[9]
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