| Televisions and computer monitors use the technique of additive color to reproduce images in photorealistic detail. By mixing only the three primary colors of light—red, green, and blue—in different intensities, it is possible to produce the full range of
colors. That
is why computer displays are sometimes called RGB (red-green-blue) monitors.
Televisions and monitors are composed of thousands to millions of pixels (picture elements) that light up individually. When controlled collectively, they can display patterns and images. You may have learned that a pixel is the smallest individual dot of
color on a monitor, but that's not entirely true. Each pixel is comprised of three smaller dots, stripes, or other shapes, depending on the technology in question. This grouping is commonly called a
dot trio.
Each trio has a red dot, a green dot, and a blue dot. By using additive color, each pixel can be any of millions or billions of different
colors. By varying the individual intensities of these three dots, it is possible to make the overall pixel glow with
any color of the light spectrum. If the red dot glows more brightly than the green or blue dot, for example, you get a reddish to bright-red pixel depending on the intensity of the red dot.
When all three primary light colors are mixed at full intensity, pure white light is the result. Contrast this to the subtractive color mixing inherent in things, such as paint and ink. Combining those primary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) results in
ever-darker shades, and at maximum intensity you get black paint or ink. |
