Lighting and Color Theory

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Friday, August 23, 13

Lighting and Color TheoryLighting and Color Theory
When it comes to color
theory, many people think
primarily of pigments. The
concept of light in color
theory is entirely different,
where mixing is additive
rather than subtractive. As
such, color mixing takes
on an entirely different
form when it comes to
lighting.

Rods and Cones
Human sight relies on visual sensors, or
rods and cones, which are located in the
retina of the eye.
Rods are able to function at extremely low
intensity but do not process sharp images
or colors.

Rods and Cones
Cones are the opposite: they need a lot of
light to work, but can easily process color
and sharp images.
In the eye, there are three different kinds of
cone: red, blue, and green, which
correspond to the primary colors of light.

Additive Color: Primaries
The primary colors of light are not the same as
in pigment color theory. The process of
additive color mixing relies on adding green,
blue, and red to create white. In subtractive
color mixing, these primaries are yellow, blue,
and red, and when combined, they create black.
Here are the basic principles of additive color
mixing.
Red + Green = Yellow
Red + Blue = Magenta
Green + Blue = Cyan

The Definition of Additive Color
Why is it called additive color mixing? The basic
reason is this: adding red to green creates a new
color – yellow – which is lighter in hue than the
original two.
Subtractive color mixing is about moving toward
darkness, while additive color works toward white
light.

Decorative Outdoor Lighting IdeasDecorative Outdoor Lighting Ideas
This means that when a white light is on in a
room, or in any other given space, it is actually
emitting a combination of red, green, and blue
light.
Most “white” lights are not actually pure white;
they are, rather, slightly off white or tinted yellow.

Decorative Outdoor Lighting IdeasDecorative Outdoor Lighting Ideas
Despite our eyes reading this as normal white
light, it really means that the bulb features green
and red more prominently than blue, but only
very slightly.

Inverting the Method- Absorption
What this all comes down to is the light color you are
after. For example, if you want magenta light, you
may put a magenta filter in front of a beam of white
light.
What this means, then, is that you are actually
removing, or absorbing, all the other light colors that
are not magenta – absorbing the green aspect of the
white light.

The secondary colors created by additive color
mixing are actually the same colors that are used in
most printers.
This means that it’s possible to mix backward and
create the initial three primary colors of light. As
such, you can mix the following:

Yellow + Cyan = Green
Yellow + Magenta = Red
Cyan + Magenta = Blue
Again, this may seem counterintuitive, but you might
be surprised to find how well this works.

www.IESLightLogic.orgwww.IESLightLogic.org
Light Logic aims to help
consumers learn about
residential lighting best practices,
design, energy efficiency and all
topics regarding lighting a home.
Read the full article at:
www.IESLightLogic.org

Lighting and Color Theory

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