teoría del color


¿Qué es la teoría del color?

La teoría del color es una multitud de categorías, definiciones y conceptos.

Este tutorial cubre las partes que son más útiles para el diseño web:

  • Colores primarios, secundarios y terciarios
  • Ruedas de color (RGB, CMY, RYB)
  • Tono de color, luminosidad y saturación

El color de la luz

Sir Isaac Newton desarrolló la teoría de que todos los colores son mezclas de luz roja , verde y azul .

Esto resultó en el primer círculo de color conocido en 1666.

Señor isaac newton
Rueda de color

El color de la pintura

En 1766, el científico Moses Harris creó la primera rueda de colores para clasificar el rojo , el amarillo y el azul como colores primarios.

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
Rueda de color


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
Terciario