Subtraktiivinen

Subtraktiivinen is an adjective used to describe processes, models, or methods that produce results by subtracting components from a whole, rather than by adding elements. The term is common in Finnish scientific and technical language and is often contrasted with additive approaches (additiivinen).

In color theory, subtractive mixing refers to how pigments or inks absorb (subtract) certain wavelengths of light and reflect others. The primary subtractive colors are cyan, magenta, and yellow; mixing them yields darker tones as more wavelengths are absorbed. In printing and color reproduction, the subtractive model is implemented with inks arranged as CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to reproduce a wide range of colors by controlling the amount of light that is subtracted from white.

Subtractive methods also appear in audio synthesis. Subtractive synthesis starts from a harmonically rich sound and uses filters to subtract unwanted harmonics, shaping the timbre. Envelope generators and other modulation sources further refine the result by subtracting or reducing amplitude over time.

Beyond color and sound, subtractive approaches are used in imaging, spectroscopy, and data processing, where a signal or image is transformed by removing certain components, features, or noise. The overarching idea is gain or clarity by removing extraneous parts rather than adding new ones. Subtraktiivinen thus denotes a broad principle of reduction through subtraction across different disciplines.