Purple is a secondary color that is made by combining red and blue light. On a computer screen or LED lighting, adjusting the red, green, and blue values allows you to create different shades of purple. Finding the right RGB values to get the specific purple hue you want takes some experimentation. Generally, to make purple, you want high values for red and blue, and a low value for green. In this article, we’ll look at some common RGB values used to make different shades of purple and break down exactly how the red, green, and blue levels combine to create this regal color.
How RGB Color Mixing Works
RGB stands for red, green, and blue. These are the three primary colors used in light mixing, which is how computer and TV screens produce color. Pixels on a screen display different intensities of red, green, and blue light to create all the colors we see.
RGB values are specified using numbers between 0 and 255. A value of 0 means none of that color, while 255 is the maximum intensity. By mixing different RGB values, millions of possible colors can be produced.
For example, pure red would have an RGB value of (255, 0, 0). No green or blue, just full red. Green would be (0, 255, 0), and blue is (0, 0, 255).
Secondary colors are made by combining two primaries. Purple combines red and blue. Yellow is red + green. Cyan is green + blue.
So by taking high values of red and blue, and lowering the green value, we can mix those colors to create purple. The exact RGB numbers determine the saturation and lightness of the final purple shade.
RGB Values for Common Purple Shades
Here are some common RGB values used to produce popular shades of purple:
Vivid Purple
RGB: (148, 0, 211)
Hex code: #9400D3
This bright, intense purple has high levels of red and blue, with no green. The strong blue intensity gives this purple a cooler tone.
Dark Violet
RGB: (148, 0, 211)
Hex code: #9400D3
Very similar to vivid purple, but with slightly lower red and blue values. This makes the shade appear darker and less intense.
Royal Purple
RGB: (120, 81, 169)
Hex code: #7851A9
Lower blue and higher red levels give this regal purple a warmer, richer tone. The lower overall values make it less saturated than vivid purple.
Pale Purple
RGB: (176, 152, 222)
Hex code: #B098DE
Higher green mixes with red and blue to create a soft, light purple. Lower saturation gives this a delicate, pastel appearance.
Lavender
RGB: (204, 153, 255)
Hex code: #CC99FF
Slightly more red and blue than pale purple, with medium green levels. This gives lavender a bolder purple tone while maintaining a lightness.
Plum
RGB: (142, 69, 133)
Hex code: #8E4585
Very high red intensity combined with medium blue creates a vibrant, reddish purple shade reminiscent of plum skin.
Fuchsia
RGB: (255, 0, 255)
Hex code: #FF00FF
No green, full red and full blue makes fuchsia a vivid mix of the two, resulting in this intense magenta tone.
Orchid
RGB: (218, 112, 214)
Hex code: #DA70D6
Lower red and higher blue creates an elegant, delicate purple with cool undertones. Similar to lavender but more saturated.
Thistle
RGB: (216, 191, 216)
Hex code: #D8BFE8
Medium red and blue with higher green results in a subtle grayish purple. The soft tone resembles the thistle flower.
Lilac
RGB: (230, 201, 255)
Hex code: #E6C9FF
High red and blue with more emphasis on blue makes this a light, airy tone inspired by the lilac flower.
Eggplant
RGB: (97, 64, 155)
Hex code: #6140C3
Very dark purple shade created by low red and medium blue, inspired by eggplant skin. Similar to dark violet but deeper.
How Red, Green, and Blue Combine to Make Purple
As the RGB values above show, the exact ratio of red and blue, and how much green is added, determine the different purple shades. Here’s some more info about how the component colors mix:
Red – Adding more red makes the purple warmer, moving it toward magenta/fuchsia tones. Less red creates cooler purples leaning toward blue tones.
Green – Lower green keeps the purple vivid and saturated. Higher green brings in a gray tone, making the purple lighter and softer.
Blue – More blue shifts the purple to cooler undertones. Less blue allows the red warmth to come through, creating purples with hints of pink.
So in summary:
– High red + high blue = vivid, intense purple
– Medium red + medium blue = soft, light purple
– High red + low blue = warm, pinkish purple
– Low red + high blue = cool, blue-toned purple
– Medium green added to red and blue = grayish, delicate purple
By tweaking the balance of these component colors, an endless range of beautiful purple shades can be created!
How to Mix Custom Purples by Adjusting RGB
When trying to create a specific shade of purple, either to match something in the real world or to get a color you have in mind, a bit of trial and error with the RGB values will be required.
Here are some tips for adjusting the red, green and blue levels:
– Start with equal red and blue for a vivid purple, then reduce green until you get the saturation you want.
– If it’s too red/pink, lower the red and raise the blue. Too blue, do the opposite.
– To lighten, gradually increase the green level. This adds a gray tone that makes the purple less saturated.
– For a deeper, darker purple, lower all values while keeping red and blue balanced.
– Use a color wheel or online color picker to visually guide color mixing based on hue and saturation.
– Try making small 5-10 level adjustments to red, green, and blue to see if colors gets closer to your desired shade.
– View the mixed color on different screens to see how it looks in different contexts. Adjust as needed.
Don’t be discourage if you can’t nail the exact purple hue right away. Color mixing requires plenty of practice and a discerning eye. But learning how the RGB values influence the tone and saturation of purple helps develop your color intuition.
How Lighting Affects Purple’s Appearance
One important factor to understand about purple colors is that different lighting conditions can significantly change the way they look. What appears vivid purple in your home office may look much duller under the harsh fluorescent lights at work. Here’s some lighting situations that impact purple:
Warm (yellow) lighting – Warmer light brings out the red/pink tones in purple, making it feel more vibrant and intense. Cooler purples shift towards magenta.
Cool (blue) lighting – Cool light sources play down the warmer tones. Purples appear more blue/indigo, with less vibrancy.
Bright white light – At high intensity, white light washes colors out. Purples often appear lighter and less saturated.
Dim light – In shadows and darkness, purple hues lose their brightness. They may shift towards blue as red tones diminish.
Direct sunlight – Natural sunlight provides optimal white balance. This is the best light for assessing the true appearance of purples.
So check your purples under different lighting to make sure the shade looks as intended. You may need to tweak the RGB levels to get the color you want depending on ambient conditions. Brighter, warmer light often benefits purples.
Matching Real-World Purples to RGB Values
When trying to match a purple color you see on a physical object, there are a couple approaches to finding the right RGB values:
Use a color identifier tool – There are various apps and color picker devices that sample real colors and convert them to digital values. These provide a good starting point.
Consult a purple color chart – Matching your observed color to RGB swatches on a purple color table gives the precise value to enter.
Eye drop with image software – If you have an image of the purple item, use the eye dropper to sample the color directly.
Manually adjust values – Start with similar RGB from a chart, then tweak red, green, blue as needed until color matches.
View in same lighting – Make sure you’re observing both the actual purple item and the RGB color under the same light.
Look at different screens – Colors may appear slightly different on each display. Adjust values accordingly.
With a calibrated eye and some color mixing knowledge, you can match real purples very closely. Save swatches for reuse for consistency across projects.
RGB Gamut Limitations
One limitation of mixing colors in RGB is that the red, green and blue primaries have a restricted range, or gamut. While they can produce millions of colors, there are some shades that RGB screens and lights simply can’t reproduce accurately.
Deep, highly saturated purples may fall outside the typical RGB gamut. In these cases, you may need to settle for the closest approximation by boosting red and blue levels. There are expanded wide gamut RGB systems that can hit more vivid tones.
Print systems like CMYK have a much larger gamut and can usually match highly saturated purples more accurately. But on a computer monitor, the limits of RGB will constrain the most intense purple hues.
Sample RGB Values for 12 Shades of Purple
Here is a table showing specific RGB values for 12 different purple shades, along with their approximate hex codes:
| Purple Shade | R Value | G Value | B Value | Hex Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vivid Violet | 159 | 0 | 255 | #9F00FF |
| Royal Purple | 120 | 81 | 169 | #7851A9 |
| Pale Lavender | 221 | 204 | 255 | #DDCCFF |
| Plum | 142 | 69 | 133 | #8E4585 |
| Orchid | 218 | 112 | 214 | #DA70D6 |
| Wisteria | 201 | 160 | 220 | #C9A0DC |
| Thistle | 216 | 191 | 216 | #D8BFD8 |
| Lilac | 240 | 195 | 255 | #F0C3FF |
| Periwinkle | 157 | 145 | 219 | #9D91DB |
| Grape | 111 | 45 | 168 | #6F2DA8 |
| Eggplant | 97 | 64 | 155 | #6140C3 |
| Byzantium | 112 | 41 | 99 | #702963 |
Conclusion
Any shade of purple can be created simply by mixing red and blue light at different RGB values. Lower the green level to make the purples vivid and saturated. Adding more green results in softer, more delicate tones.
Adjusting the balance of red and blue shifts the purple along the color spectrum from cool indigos to warm magentas. Finding the perfect purple for your needs is just a matter of tweaking the RGB numbers until you get the exact hue, lightness and saturation desired.
With millions of possible RGB combinations, the purple possibilities are endless! Use color picker tools, swatch charts, online resources and your own intuition to craft beautiful purples for any project. Just remember the fundamentals of color mixing: balancing those red and blue values, reducing the green, and exploring different saturations.
So tap into your inner Prince (or Marie Kondo) and get creative with purple! RGB opens up a royal palette for website design, graphics, interiors, lighting, fashion, art, and more. Power up the pixels and paint your world any shade of violet you desire. Express yourself, impress viewers, and thrive artistically, all with the perfect RGB purples.