Color Mixer
Free color mixing online — blend colors in RGB, RYB or CMYK and copy the HEX code of the result.
RGB additive mixing: how light combines on a screen. Red + Green = Yellow, Red + Blue = Magenta, Green + Blue = Cyan, all three = White.
Mix Colors Online
This color mixer answers the question every designer, painter and developer ends up asking: what color do I get if I combine these? Pick two to five colors, decide how much of each one goes into the blend, and the mixed color appears instantly with its HEX and RGB code ready to copy.
What makes color mixing online tricky is that there is no single right answer – it depends on whether you are mixing light, paint or ink. Red and blue give you magenta on a screen but purple on a palette. So the mixer lets you switch between all three models and see the difference side by side.
How to use the color mixer
- Choose a color model. RGB for anything shown on a screen, RYB for paint and traditional art, CMYK for print. Your colors carry over when you switch, so you can compare the same blend in each model.
- Set your colors. Drag the channel sliders on each card, or start from one of the ready made combinations below the result.
- Adjust the amounts. The amount slider on each card controls how much of that color goes into the mix – drop one to zero to take it out without deleting it.
- Copy the result. Click the HEX or RGB value to copy it, or look up the closest named color with the search button.
The three color mixing models
RGB – additive mixing (light)
Red, Green and Blue are the primaries of light, used by every screen, monitor and phone. Mixing is additive: each color adds light, so the more you mix, the brighter the result, and all three at full strength give white. Red + Green = Yellow, Red + Blue = Magenta, Green + Blue = Cyan. Use this model when the color will be shown on a display or used in CSS.
RYB – subtractive mixing (paint)
Red, Yellow and Blue are the traditional artist primaries. Mixing is subtractive: pigment absorbs light rather than emitting it, so every color you add darkens the result. Red + Yellow = Orange, Yellow + Blue = Green, Red + Blue = Purple, and all three together give the muddy brown any painter will recognise. Use this model to plan a paint mix before you commit real color to a canvas. You can explore the same model on the RYB color wheel.
CMYK – print mixing (ink)
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black) are the four process inks used in commercial printing. Cyan + Magenta = Blue, Cyan + Yellow = Green, Magenta + Yellow = Red. The K channel adds black separately, because layering the three colored inks gives a washed out dark rather than a true black. Use this model when the artwork is heading for print.
Common color mixing results
| You mix | RYB (paint) | RGB (light) |
|---|---|---|
| Red + Blue | Purple | Magenta |
| Red + Yellow | Orange | — |
| Yellow + Blue | Green | — |
| Red + Green | Brown | Yellow |
| Green + Blue | Dark teal | Cyan |
| All three primaries | Muddy brown / near black | White |
Who uses a color mixer
- Painters and illustrators – test a pigment mix before touching the paint.
- Web designers and developers – blend two brand colors and take the HEX straight into CSS.
- Print designers – see how process inks combine before a proof.
- Teachers and students – demonstrate additive and subtractive color theory interactively.
- Interior and craft projects – preview a custom paint shade in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
What is a color mixer?
A color mixer combines two or more colors and shows you the color you get as a result, along with its HEX and RGB code. This one mixes in three color models, so you can preview the same blend as light, as paint and as print ink.
What color do red and blue make?
In RYB paint mixing red and blue make purple. In RGB light mixing the same pair makes magenta, which is brighter and more electric, because light is added together rather than absorbed by pigment.
Why do RGB and RYB give different results?
RGB is additive – every color you add sends more light to your eye, so mixing everything gives white. RYB and CMYK are subtractive – every pigment absorbs part of the spectrum, so mixing more of them darkens the result towards brown and black.
How many colors can I mix at once?
Between two and five. Each color has its own amount slider, so the mix can be equal parts or weighted heavily towards a single color.
Are the mixed colors exact?
The HEX and RGB values are exact for what you see on screen. Real paint and printed ink always shift a little from a screen preview, so treat a RYB or CMYK mix as a very close guide rather than a guarantee.
Does the color mixer work on a phone?
Yes. It is free, needs no sign up, and every slider and button is sized for touch.
More color tools
- RYB color wheel picker
- RGB color wheel picker
- Image color picker
- Color palette generator and editor
- Color names and color codes
- Tints and shades generator
- Opposite color finder
- Compare two colors
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