Color - Reflection, Refraction, Absorption

An OBJECT is given a color name based on what color it GETS TO YOU. You can only see when light reaches your eyes. If light doesn't reach your eyes, you see "darkness". Therefore, if you see a box and call it Red, it's because red light reflected off the object and came to your eyes.

FILTERS are named after what color is allows to go through. A Blue filter is called Blue because when it is put in front of a white light, Blue shines on the wall behind it. If you shine a Red light on a Blue filter, it will ABSORB all the red light allowing no light to pass. 

When light is absorbed, it turns into heat. Darker colors absorb more, lighter colors reflect more.

Color Theory

The primary colors of light are Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). The secondary colors are cyan, yellow, and magenta (CYM).

White light is when your brain sees all the colors together (this is why a white flashlight's light can be spread out into a rainbow). Black is when we are not receiving light energy. Grey is when there is an equal distribution of colors, but they're not at their fullest (25%, 25%, 25% or all the colors).

When looking at DIGITAL sources - you're receiving only RGB input. Your brain can then tell you any color based on what is mixed. If you look at a source in REAL LIFE, you could be seeing light with a wavelength of yellow light (most likely) or a mixture of colors (R, G, and Y). This is because your brain cannot distinguish between an even mix of R+G or just pure Y light.

 

How Seeing Works