Additive Color: the RGB Color System

If we are working on a computer, the colors we see on the screen are created with light using the additive color method. Additive color mixing begins with black and ends with white, meaning that as more color is added, the result is lighter and tends to white.

The RGB color system is an example the light primaries and creates color with light. Percentages of red, green, & blue light are used to generate color on a computer screen. The basic colors of light are red, green and blue.

The most common example of additive color synthesis is the color television screen, (or RGB monitor), which is a mosaic of red, green, and blue dots; at normal viewing distances the eye does not distinguish the dots, but blends or adds their stimulus effects to obtain a composite color effect.

The principals of additive color synthesis are as follows

(a) Equal stimulus proportions of two primary colors create a secondary color.

(b) Equal stimulus proportions of all three primaries create white: