Prompt Cast
How Color Works: Perception, Pigments, and Personal Preference
TLDR Color is our perception of specific wavelengths of visible light, created by pigments that absorb and reflect certain wavelengths. Our eyes perceive color through specialized cells called cones, and we can perceive up to 10 million colors. Color can be created through additive or subtractive methods, and our perception of color is influenced by personal preference and cultural associations.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This podcast episode is about how color works.
04:25
Color is our perception of specific wavelengths of visible light, and objects appear to have certain colors because of pigments that absorb some wavelengths and reflect others.
09:00
Color does not exist without being perceived, and our eyes perceive color through specialized cells called cones that are attuned to different wavelengths of light.
13:45
The human eye can perceive up to 10 million colors, which are created by the combination of red, green, and blue cones in the eye and the brain's interpretation of them.
18:25
Additive colors are used in computer screens and televisions, starting with black and adding light to create white, while subtractive colors are used in paint and photography, starting with white and adding colors to create black by absorbing one another's colors.
22:57
Additive coloring involves combining light to form new colors, while subtractive coloring involves absorbing certain wavelengths of light to create new colors; the six spectral colors can be turned into either additive primaries (red, green, blue) or subtractive primaries (cyan, yellow, magenta), which are the primary colors used in painting and printing.
27:52
Complementary colors are contrasting colors that create a neutral color when placed together, but achieving color harmony requires using different shades, tones, and amounts of each color.
32:25
Complementary colors can cause retinal fatigue and create ghost images, and our ability to see and interpret color is still not fully understood by evolutionary biologists.
36:53
Color preference and symbolism is highly personal and can be influenced by past experiences, upbringing, culture, and conditioning, but there are also some universally recognized associations, such as red with anger and blue with sadness.
41:23
Throughout history, pigments for making paint and other materials were made from natural substances found in the ground, such as lapis lazuli for blue and cinnabar for red, but there were also more unusual methods like collecting cow urine and boiling it down to make India yellow.
45:59
The hosts express appreciation for hearing from listeners with real-life experiences and provide various ways to contact them, including through social media and email.
Categories:
Society & Culture
