Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) Practice Exam

Additive color mixing requires what?

1. Three separate color pigments

2. Three separate light sources

3. One light source

4. Two separate filters

The correct answer is: Three separate light sources

Additive color mixing involves the combination of different colors of light to create new colors. This process relies on the principle that when different colors of light are combined, they add together to form lighter colors. In additive color mixing, three separate light sources are typically used: red, green, and blue. These are the primary colors of light; when combined in various ways, they can produce a wide spectrum of colors. For example, mixing all three in equal intensity produces white light, while specific combinations yield different colors, such as cyan, magenta, and yellow. Understanding this principle is crucial for photographers and professionals working in fields that deal with light, such as digital imaging and stage lighting. The erroneous choice of color pigments pertains to subtractive color mixing, which works differently by filtering light instead of merging it.