Teoria das cores


O que é a Teoria das Cores?

A teoria das cores é uma infinidade de categorias, definições e conceitos.

Este tutorial cobre as partes que são mais úteis para web design:

  • Cores primárias, secundárias e terciárias
  • Rodas de cores (RGB, CMY, RYB)
  • Matiz de cor, leveza e saturação

A cor da luz

Sir Isaac Newton desenvolveu a teoria de que todas as cores são misturas de luz vermelha , verde e azul .

Isso resultou no primeiro círculo de cores conhecido em 1666.

Sir Isaac Newton
Roda de cores

A cor da tinta

Em 1766, o cientista Moses Harris criou a primeira roda de cores para classificar Vermelho , Amarelo e Azul como cores primárias.

Moses Harris worked with paint (Newton worked with light) following a theory (by a French painter) that all colors are mixtures of Red, Yellow, and Blue pigments.

Moisés Harris
Roda de cores


Color Systems

In this tutorial we will cover 3 different color systems:

  • The color system used when producing colors by light (RGB)
  • The color system used when printing (CMY)
  • The color system used by artist and painters (RYB)

Printing actually uses a four ink color system.

CMYK: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black).


Primary Colors

Primary colors are the main colors in a given color system.

Primary colors can not be produced by mixing other colors a color system.

The primary colors for light are Red, Green, and Blue:

RGB Red Green Blue

The primary colors for print are Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow:

CMY Cyan Magenta Yellow

The primary colors for paint are Red, Yellow, and Blue:

RYB Red Yellow Blue

Secondary Colors

Secondary colors are made by mixing two primary colors in a color system

There are 3 secondary colors in the color systems described here.


Mixing Light (RGB)

Secondary colors are Yellow, Cyan Magenta.

Red + Green = Yellow
Green + Blue = Cyan
Blue + Red = Magenta

Mixing Ink (CMY)

Secondary colors are Blue, Red, Green.

Cyan + Magenta = Blue
Magenta + Yellow = Red
Yellow + Cyan = Green

Note that mixing the primary colors of CMY produces the primary colors of light (RGB)


Mixing Paint (RYB)

Secondary colors are Orange, Green, Purple.

Red + Yellow = Orange
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Purple

Tertiary Colors

Tertiary colors are made by mixing one primary and one secondary color in a color system.

There are six named tertiary colors in RYB:

  • Red-Orange
  • Yellow-Orange
  • Yellow-Green
  • Blue-Green
  • Blue-Purple
  • Red-Purple
Terciário