How can you make primary colours using other colours?

Question

I asked whether mixing yellow and red light would form orange, and I got a variety of answers. One person said that there is nothing special about primary colours, and that they were only chosen because they're close to what the cones on our retnas pick up. If that's the case, it must be possible to form 'primary' colours from other colours.

For example, what could you add together to make red? I haven't found any way of doing this.

And yes, I realise I misspelled 'retina'. It was a typing error.

This is the original question, just to show exactly what was said. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AudD9V2CO_wvmAlvzvtryTDsy6IX?qid=20061207105324AAlYJA5

Answer 1

You cannot make primary colors from other colors. The other person is mistaken.

The confusion, I believe, comes from the difference between what we learned in kindergarten with colored paint, and the role that technology has played since those early lessons, by calling into attention the difference between light that is emitted and light that is reflected.

There are two different sets of primary colors. In the case of the color of emitted light (like your computer monitor), the primary colors are red, green, and blue. These are additive primaries. In the case of reflected and colorants (like photos and paint,) the primaries are called subtractive. These primary colors are magenta, cyan, and yellow.

Answer 2

Primary colors; red, yellow, and blue,are primary colors and connot be made woth other colors,thats why they are primary. Secondary colors are orange, green,violet, thirshiary colors are red-orange,blue-green,blue-violet,yellow-orange and so on. All made frome the primary colors.if you do want to mix the primary colors together you will find you will get a brown or tan depending on how much yellow you add.But that is considered a tone. you have the color wheel plus the tints, tones or shades of those colors you can create. example: white would be a tone and gray would be black with a tint of white or it would be white with the tone of black. If you wanted to make sky blue=blue+the tint of white.Midnight blue would be blue Midnight blue=blue with the tone of black.

Answer 3

"Someone" told you wrong.
"Primary" colors are that because they can NOT be made from mixing.

Red, Yellow & Blue can never be made from other colors--they exist on their own power.

Answer 4

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/lum_scGrid/index.html

http://www.echalk.co.uk/amusements/OpticalIllusions/colourPerception/colourPerception.html

http://www.johnsadowski.com/big_spanish_castle.php

maybe not that relevant : but fun.