Page 42 - (DK) Advanced Photography Guide

40 EXPLAINING | COLOR

COLOR HARMONIES

Color is one of the most powerful elements of any photograph. RGB AND CMYK
When two colors are placed next to one another, they create The colors of pixels on a monitor
an effect, depending on how alike they are. Combinations of and in a digital photo are created
by mixing varying amounts of red,
colors that are similar to each other are visually restful and green, and blue (RGB). But photo
convey serenity, whereas colors that are very different stand printers use cyan, magenta, yellow,
out and create a sense of energy. Understanding how colors and black inks—a color system
known as CMYK. When an image
work together will help you to make your photos more vibrant. is printed, the printer’s software
converts it from RGB to CMYK.

PRIMARY
The color wheel
The simplest way to see how colors work
together is to use a color wheel, like the one on
the right. This shows the full spectrum of colors, SECONDARY SECONDARY
including the primary colors—red, blue, and
yellow—and the secondary colors—violet
(purple), green, and orange, each of which is
made by mixing two primary colors together.
(There are various types of color wheels, which
differ subtly from the one on this page and refer
to other primary and secondary colors.) Color PRIMARY
wheels also help you to choose the right filter PRIMARY
when you are shooting in black and white. A
colored filter will lighten the tone of objects that
are a similar color to the filter and darken those
SECONDARY
that are a complementary color to the filter. ▲ Colors are divided into warm and cool colors. Red, orange,
This helps to widen the tonal range of a and yellow are warm colors, whereas blue, green, and violet
black-and-white photo and increase contrast. are cool. Warm colors tend to jump out in an image and be
more dominant than cool colors, which are recessive.

WARM COLORS COOL COLORS

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