Here's a simulated example of how a color will appear on your screen (RGB) vs how it will come out on a sheet of paper from a typical inkjet printer (CYMK): Further, some colors can be difficult to match between color spaces. You can't translate every color between color spaces - there are some shades which can only be accurately represented with certain pigments. While CMYK is subtractive (colors on a page which absorb light, i.e. Generally, RGB is used for additive color mixing (hint: Light-mixing, or LCDs, LEDs, stage lights, etc.) RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and CMYK (Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Black) are both common color spaces. To keep this video as short and simple as possible, I’ve left out some of the extra information that I discovered in my searches, but I’ve included it all in the blog post, along with the sources where I’ve gathered my information, and some extra reading you might enjoy if you want to learn more about color theory for yourself.They both are, in a way.

– And what are IMPOSSIBLE colors and imaginary primaries? – Why do we even use a color wheel? Can’t we just use all the colors?

– Which color wheel should I use to choose color harmonies? – Which color wheel should I use for color mixing? – Which color wheel is the real color wheel? – What’s the difference between RGB, RYB and CMY? – Are there really 3 primary colors that can make every other color? – Is the traditional color wheel outdated? Is my art teacher wrong? I’ll try to keep this thorough but as simple as possible, and answer the questions:

Let’s take a look at the history of the color wheel and try to make sense of this CMY vs RYB color wheel debate once and for all. Red, blue and yellow, or cyan, yellow and magenta? Which are the REAL primary colors? And which primary color wheel is the best for color mixing and color harmony?Īnd check out my previous video about color harmonies and choosing colors that work well together using the traditional color wheel:

Cmy primary color wheel