Basic Photography Course

CHAPTER 12

COLOR PRINTING

The mechanics of color printing are similar to

black-and-white printing. Once you have mastered the
techniques of black-and-white printing, you will have a

solid foundation to build your knowledge and skills in
color printing. The most difficult task in color printing
is distinguishing between various and sometimes subtle
colors and selecting filters to produce a color balanced

print. That is not as difficult as it may sound. Through
time and practice, you will make excellent color prints;
however, before color printing is discussed, the
principles of color photography and how they apply to
color printing will be reviewed.

PRINCIPLES OF COLOR

PHOTOGRAPHY

Most people see in color and expect their

photographs to be in color. Because of customer
demands and the cost benefits involved, color
photography has nearly replaced black-and-white
photography in Navy imaging facilities. Few amateur
photographers understand the complexity of color
reproduction in color photography. Most of these
amateurs take their unprocessed film to a drug store or
a 1-hour photo finisher. As a Navy Photographer's Mate,
you are a professional. To produce professional quality
color photographs, you must have a basic understanding
of the color process.

Usually white is thought of as no color; however, it

is more accurate to think of it as all colors. When one of
the colors is absent, the color is not white light, but a
different color-green, for example. When magenta (a
bluish red color) is absent, the resulting color is green.
When cyan (a greenish blue color) is absent, the color
is red, and so forth.

As you read this chapter and when you color print,

you may find it helpful to think of a color as white with
something missing; that is,

blue is minus yellow;

green is minus magenta;

red is minus cyan;

yellow is minus blue;

magenta is minus green; and

cyan is minus red.

Also keep in mind that

all color is light; and

white is all colors.

COLOR IS LIGHT

The color you see is simply light. Where there is no

light, there is no color. When you "see" a colored object,
what you are actually seeing is the light reflected or
emitted from that object; therefore, the light alone is
what you see and not the actual object.

The color of light people are most familiar with is

white. Actually, white light is made up of all the colors,
although they are impossible to see directly. When you
see white light reflected from a sheet of white paper, you
are actually seeing an equal mixture of red, green, and
blue light being reflected in equal amounts. You must
realize and understand this fact before you print color.

LIGHT PRIMARIES

White light is a mixture of all the colors of light;

however, only three primary colors are actually needed
to make white light. These three primary colors are red,
green, and blue. Not only do these three light primaries
produce white light, but they produce any and all other
colors; for example, imagine a blue, a green, and a red
spotlight shining on a white screen so the spotlight
circles partly overlap. There are three places where two
of the light primaries overlap and one place where all
three light primaries overlap. In the areas where two
primaries overlap, a distinctly new color is created

12-1

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Basic Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> CHAPTER 12 COLOR PRINTING The mechanics of color printing are similar to black-and-white printing. Once you have mastered the techniques of black-and-white printing, you will have a solid foundation to build your knowledge and skills in color printing. The most difficult task in color printing is distinguishing between various and sometimes subtle colors and selecting filters to produce a color balanced print. That is not as difficult as it may sound. Through time and practice, you will make excellent color prints; however, before color printing is discussed, the principles of color photography and how they apply to color printing will be reviewed. PRINCIPLES OF COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY Most people see in color and expect their photographs to be in color. Because of customer demands and the cost benefits involved, color photography has nearly replaced black-and-white photography in Navy imaging facilities. Few amateur photographers understand the complexity of color reproduction in color photography. Most of these amateurs take their unprocessed film to a drug store or a 1-hour photo finisher. As a Navy Photographer's Mate, you are a professional. To produce professional quality color photographs, you must have a basic understanding of the color process. Usually white is thought of as no color; however, it is more accurate to think of it as all colors. When one of the colors is absent, the color is not white light, but a different color-green, for example. When magenta (a bluish red color) is absent, the resulting color is green. When cyan (a greenish blue color) is absent, the color is red, and so forth. As you read this chapter and when you color print, you may find it helpful to think of a color as white with something missing; that is, blue is minus yellow; green is minus magenta; red is minus cyan; yellow is minus blue; magenta is minus green; and cyan is minus red. Also keep in mind that all color is light; and white is all colors. COLOR IS LIGHT The color you see is simply light. Where there is no light, there is no color. When you "see" a colored object, what you are actually seeing is the light reflected or emitted from that object; therefore, the light alone is what you see and not the actual object. The color of light people are most familiar with is white. Actually, white light is made up of all the colors, although they are impossible to see directly. When you see white light reflected from a sheet of white paper, you are actually seeing an equal mixture of red, green, and blue light being reflected in equal amounts. You must realize and understand this fact before you print color. LIGHT PRIMARIES White light is a mixture of all the colors of light; however, only three primary colors are actually needed to make white light. These three primary colors are red, green, and blue. Not only do these three light primaries produce white light, but they produce any and all other colors; for example, imagine a blue, a green, and a red spotlight shining on a white screen so the spotlight circles partly overlap. There are three places where two of the light primaries overlap and one place where all three light primaries overlap. In the areas where two primaries overlap, a distinctly new color is created 12-1 contents Basic Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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