Understanding Subtractive Color Mixing in Liquids
When you mix colored liquids โ whether paints, inks, or dyes โ you're performing subtractive color mixing. Each pigment absorbs certain wavelengths of light and reflects others. When two pigments combine, more wavelengths are absorbed, creating a new, often deeper color.
Unlike additive mixing (where red + green + blue light = white), subtractive mixing follows these primary relationships:
- Cyan + Magenta = Blue โ both absorb red and green wavelengths respectively
- Cyan + Yellow = Green โ resulting in the reflection of only green wavelengths
- Magenta + Yellow = Red โ the overlapping reflections produce a warm red hue
- All three primaries = Near Black โ maximum absorption across the spectrum
๐ก Our mixer uses a weighted algorithm that simulates real-world pigment blending, factoring in opacity and concentration for realistic results.