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CMY color mixing


minimac

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CMY mixing stands for Cyan Magenta Yellow mixing. It is a mixing technique which employs three wheels of dichroic glass (glass which is coated with special chemicals to give it a colour when light is shone through it) to create any colour.

 

If you were to take the lid off a Mac 2k Wash, you would find (among other things) three wheels* - Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. By subtracting their colours from the white visible spectrum, you can create any colour you desire. For example, to create a saturated red, you need to move the Magenta and Yellow filters into the light.

 

http://www.bracknet.com/ess/Graphics/adwhel.gif

 

I hope this makes sense. Most people just play around with a particular light until they get a colour they like, but you can find lookup tables for the DMX values to produce gel equivilants, although in my experience they're nothing more than near approximations and its just as quick to mix your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Pedants... I know the Mac 2k range actually use plates, but it seems simpler to explain using wheels

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the actual term is know as SUBTRACTIVE COLOUR MIXING, this is the term used to define a spectrum using the colours Cyan Yellow And Magenta.

 

If using Red Green and Blue, as the picture sergests above (and is the most commonly used in Tv screens, LED products ect) this is know as ADDITIVE COLOUR MIXING, as its mixing a full pallet using primary colours.

 

Colour mixing

 

the link above will exspain better

 

vince

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Subtractive

http://home.att.net/~B-P.TRUSCIO/ANICMY.gif

 

Additive

http://home.att.net/~B-P.TRUSCIO/ANIRGB.gif

 

 

 

Happy?

 

(I didn't say that the diagram illustrated subtractive or additive colour mixing - I merely posted it to illustrate the post)

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I was happy before, peter?? :(

 

I just thought he would like to know, the termanology behind it all.

 

and I just thought that, putting a picture up of RGB, when he was already confused with CYM was a little baffling. :angry:

 

didnt meen to offend, but I guess some people easily are :angry:

 

vince

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