RGB

RGB stands for the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. The fact that the primary colors used in lighting are different from the yellow, red, and blue we know from art class is due to the underlying additive principle. With lights labeled RGB, the color can therefore be adjusted and changed. Virtually all mixed colors can be produced from these primary colors, a process also known as additive color synthesis. This makes RGB lighting particularly suitable for decorative purposes involving dynamic color effects, such as creating color gradients and setting specific moods in a room. Often, RGB color mixing is supplemented with an additional white light source, which is then referred to as RGBW lighting (red, green, blue, and white). This addition allows for a better white light color, although with LEDs, it is precisely these primary colors that are used to produce white light. In general, RGB color mixing is used primarily in screens and LEDs, with the latter being based entirely on this principle. When all three colors are combined, white light is produced; conversely, when all three are omitted, a black image is produced. This RGB color mixing is only possible because of the way humans see, since we have three so-called cones in our eyes that can perceive precisely these three primary colors—red, green, and blue. Most other mammals, however, do not have these three cones and therefore see differently.