Well that is one way to look at it, but a much better simpler method does exist and it is very handy and easy to understand.

when you get that image opened in photoshop or whatever other method you use to edit your images, or video footage. Some basic understanding of colors and how they work together is essential to learn and master.

Just because you have a high tech computer inside that camera, sometimes it will not yield the results you want. When that happens.. you can easily color correct any image, just by knowing a few basics!!

I am old school .. .. FILM ! but these same rules still apply and by knowing these your gonna easily save yourself a lot of frustration, at times!!

In photography .. .. in the darkroom and on the finished print. There are only six colors !

Red Green Blue are the primary colors, they each have opposites or secondary colors.

The Opposite of Red .. is Cyan

The Opposite of Green is Magenta

The opposite of Blue .. is . Yellow

In photoshop when you have an image open and you go up to the top menu 'Image > adjust > color balance.

a window opens, and these same relationships are on that slider page

R - C

G - M

B - Y

In the darkroom, when a finished print was too yellow, you would have to add yellow to the filter pack to get rid of that yellow ! (have I got you confused ) ?

If a print was too blue.. you would subtract yellow to get rid of that blue !!

Photoshop makes it much easier to understand and put into practice..

In other words, you do the opposite of what you see in your final print or image!

Lets say that I have a circular piece of cardboard such as you get when you order pizza.

If I take that circle piece of cardboard and divide it into 3 sections,

Red, Green & Blue paint is applied to each section.

Now if I take and spin that circle very fast.

with a pin or pencil in the center..

what COLOR will you see ??

Black is not a COLOR.. !! Black is the absence of ALL color(s).

The Presence of ALL color(s) is white !

therefore you will see white !!

This can also be illustrated using lights. real lights .. or lights in a 3D program.

I will take 3 lights and aim them towards a common center point.

A red light, a green light, and a blue light. Notice where they all merge.. the color white is shown and visible and the overlapping areas clearly show the secondary colors also !!

The only time you might get confused is when you mistake and correct for cyan when the photo is really blue.

and again, if that print is realy blue and you correct for cyan you will never get the correct results.

Look. in the neutral areas, for shadows. in white, or grey, what color is in excess?? correct using the opposite of that color and your whites will pop and your greys will be grey!! it just takes a little practice !!




Learning to use colors and their compliments is essential to learning the Art of Photography.

Usnig colors in Juxtaposition with each other, produces the most pleasing results !!