How colours are generated in television

Introduction

How Colors Exist

A basic understanding of how colors are created is the first step in providing correct answers. Here are two examples:

The color of a tangible object is the result of pigments or molecular coloring agents. For example, the color of a red apple (in the illustration at the left) is the result of molecular coloring agents on the surface of the apple. Also, a painting of a red apple is the result of red pigments used to create the image.

The colors of objects viewed on a television set or on a computer monitor are the result of colored light (in the illustration at the right). If you're not familiar with how colors are created by light, look at your monitor or television screen close up. Put your eye right up against the screen. A small magnifying glass might help. This is what you will see:

A simplified way to explain it is that the color of a red apple on a computer or television is created by photons of red light that are transmitted within the electronic system.

Primary Colors

It's also important to understand the concept of "primary" colors. The fundamental rule is that there are three colors that cannot be made by mixing other colors together. These three, red, blue, and yellow, are known as the primary colors.

Now that we've described two different categories of colors (pigment and light-generated) and have a definition of primary colors, the answer to whether black and white are colors can be answered.

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Color Theory 1 - Color as Light

(Additive Color Theory)

Red, Green, and Blue
(The primary colors of light)

 The question:
Are black and white colors when generated as light?

Black and white cats generated on a television.
These colors are created by light.

The answers:
1. Black is the absence of color (and is therefore not a color)

Explanation:
When there is no light, everything is black. Test this out by going into a photographic dark room. There are no photons of light. In other words, there are no photons of colors.

2. White is the blending of all colors and is a color.

Explanation:
Light appears colorless or white. Sunlight is white light that is composed of all the colors of the spectrum.  A rainbow is proof. You can't see the colors of sunlight except when atmospheric conditions bend the light rays and create a rainbow. You can also use a prism to demonstrate this.

Fact: The sum of all the colors of light add up to white. This is additive color theory.

 
When you're finished with black & white, explore some real colors at Color Matters: The Meanings of Color

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Color Theory 2 - Color as Pigment or Molecular Coloring Agents

(Subtractive Color Theory)

Red, Yellow, and Blue (The primary colors of pigments in the art world)	Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow (The primary colors of inks in the printing industry) *

The question:
Are black and white colors when they exist as pigments or as molecular coloring agents?

Black and white cats created by colored crayons.
This is color generated by pigments.

Black and white cats. The colors of the fur is the result of molecules.

The answers:
1. Black is a color. (Chemists will confirm this!)

Explanation:
Here's a simple way to show how black is made: Combine all three primary colors (red yellow and blue) using a liquid paint or you even food coloring. You won't get a jet black, but the point will be clear. The history of black pigments includes charcoal, iron metals, and other chemicals as the source of black paints.
Resource: History of Pigments

Therefore, if someone argues that black is the absence of color, you can reply, “What is in a tube of black paint?” However, you must add the fact that black is a color when you are referring to the color of pigments and the coloring agents of tangible objects.

2. White is not a color.
... but .... in some cases you could say that white is a color.

The grey area: Technically, pure white is the absence of color. In other words, you can't mix colors to create white. Therefore, white is the absence of color in the strictest sense of the definition. However, when you examine the pigment chemistry of white, ground-up substances (such as chalk and bone) or chemicals (such as titanium and zinc) are used to create the many nuances of white in paint, chalk, crayons - and even products such as Noxema. It's worth noting that white paper is made by bleaching tree bark (paper pulp). Therefore, you could say that white is a color in the context of pigment chemistry.

More Information about CMYK primary colors:
In theory, mixing equal amounts of three primary colors should produce shades of grey or black when all three are fully saturated. In the print industry, cyan, magenta and yellow tend to produce muddy brown colors. For this reason, a fourth "primary" pigment, black, is often used in addition to the cyan, magenta, and yellow colors.

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There's more to color than black and white! When you're finished with this article, discover the 3 most important things about color at Color Matters. SeeBasic Color Theory