The HSL and HSV color spaces are simple geometric transformations of the RGB cube into cylindrical form. In an additive color circle, the center is white or gray, indicating a mixture of different wavelengths of light (all wavelengths, or two complementary colors, for example).Ī color wheel based on HSV, labeled with HTML color keywords. Sometimes a RGV (red, green, violet) triad is used instead. Alternatively, the same arrangement of colors around a circle can be described as based on cyan, magenta, and yellow subtractive primaries, with red, green, and blue being secondaries. In a paint or subtractive color wheel, the "center of gravity" is usually (but not always ) black, representing all colors of light being absorbed.Ī color wheel based on RGB (red, green, blue) additive primaries has cyan, magenta, and yellow secondaries. Intermediate and interior points of color wheels and circles represent color mixtures. Printers and others who use modern subtractive color methods and terminology use magenta, yellow, and cyan as subtractive primaries. Non-digital visual artists typically use red, yellow, and blue primaries ( RYB color model) arranged at three equally spaced points around their color wheel. The tertiary colors are green-yellow, yellow-orange, orange-red, red-violet/purple, purple/violet-blue and blue-green. The corresponding secondary colors are green, orange, and violet or purple.
The typical artists' paint or pigment color wheel includes the blue, red, and yellow primary colors. A 1908 color wheel with red, green, and violet "plus colors" and magenta, yellow, and cyan blue "minus colors".