Digital photographs are displayed on screens using which three colors?

• A. Red, Green, Blue
• B. Red, Blue, Green
• C. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
• D. Black, White, Gray

Answer: (A)

Digital screens create color by emitting light and mixing it additively. The three primary colors used for this are red, green, and blue. By adjusting the brightness of each of these primaries and combining them, screens can reproduce the full spectrum of colors we perceive. Our eyes have three types of cone cells that are most sensitive to red, green, and blue light, which is why this set of primaries works so well for displays. When all three are at full intensity, you get white; with none, you get black. The other color sets don’t fit display technology: cyan, magenta, and yellow are subtractive primaries used in printing with pigments, and black/white/gray describe brightness levels rather than the color mix used by screens.