Primary colors are colorants or coloured lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a broad range of colors in, e.g., electronic displays, color printing, and paintings. Perceptions associated with a given combination of primary colors can be predicted by an appropriate mixing model (e.g., additive, subtractive) that uses the physics of how light interacts with physical media, and ultimately the retina to be able to accurately display the intended colors.
The most common colour mixing models are the additive primary colors (red, green, blue) and the subtractive primary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow). Red, yellow, and blue are also commonly taught as primary colors (usually in the context of subtractive color mixing as opposed to additive color mixing), despite some criticism due to its lack of scientific basis.
