mixedcolor

Mixedcolor is a term used to describe any color produced by combining two or more colors. The concept spans media that emit light and media that reflect or absorb it, encompassing both additive and subtractive color mixing. In everyday use, mixedcolors arise whenever distinct hues are blended, intentionally or as a result of lighting or material properties.

In additive color mixing, colors are created by combining light. The primary colors are red, green, and blue. When these are mixed at full intensity, they produce white; different combinations yield other hues. For example, red plus green yields yellow light, green plus blue yields cyan, and red plus blue yields magenta. Mixing all three primaries in varying amounts generates a wide range of colors, including white at full intensity.

In subtractive color mixing, colors come from pigments or dyes that absorb (subtract) parts of the spectrum. The typical primaries are cyan, magenta, and yellow. When mixed, they produce other colors such as cyan plus magenta yielding blue, magenta plus yellow yielding red, and cyan plus yellow yielding green. In theory, combining all three can approach black, though practical results depend on pigment quality and lighting.

Color management matters for mixedcolors in practice. Different color spaces, such as sRGB or Adobe RGB for displays and CMYK for printing, influence how a mixedcolor appears across devices. Perception varies with lighting, material properties, and viewing context, making precise reproduction a matter of calibration and material choice. See also color theory, color wheel, primary colors, and color spaces.