What Colors Make Yellow? Mixing Guide with HEX Codes
No paint colors mix to make yellow, because yellow is a primary color in both traditional painting and CMYK printing. On screens it is different: red light and green light make yellow, rgb(255, 255, 0). In paint you start with a yellow pigment and adjust it to get every other shade.
The short answer
| Medium | Can you mix yellow? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Paint (RYB or CMY) | No | Yellow is a primary. Start with a yellow pigment. |
| Print (CMYK) | No | Yellow is one of the four base inks, printed at Y100. |
| Screens (RGB) | Yes | Red light + green light = #FFFF00 |
From a base yellow you can mix lemon, gold, mustard, ochre and pale butter yellows. The recipes are below.
Why yellow can't be mixed in paint
Yellow is a primary in the traditional red, yellow and blue system and in the cyan, magenta and yellow system printers use. Primaries can't be made from other pigments. Mixing pigments also always makes a color darker, and yellow is the lightest bright hue, so no mix of other paints can reach it.
That is also why yellow is the hardest color to keep clean. A small amount of almost any other paint dulls it.
What two colors make yellow?
On a screen, red and green make yellow. Turn the red and green channels up together and the result is yellow:
rgb(255, 0, 0)+rgb(0, 255, 0)=rgb(255, 255, 0),#FFFF00- More red than green gives orange-yellow, such as
rgb(255, 200, 0) - More green than red gives lime-yellow, such as
rgb(200, 255, 0)
In paint and print, no two colors make yellow. In CMYK the yellow you see is simply the yellow ink.
What do yellow and green make?
Yellow and green make yellow-green, also called lime or chartreuse. More yellow gives a bright lime, more green gives a grass or spring green. On screens, the CSS color yellowgreen is #9ACD32. See what colors make green.
What do red and yellow make?
Red and yellow make orange. Mostly yellow gives amber and marigold, and mostly red gives red-orange. See what colors make orange.
What do blue and yellow make?
Blue and yellow make green in paint. On screens, blue and yellow light are complements, so they combine to make white.
How to mix shades of yellow
Always add other colors to yellow in very small amounts. Yellow is weak, so a drop of almost anything changes it.
How to make lemon yellow
Add a tiny amount of white and the faintest touch of blue or green to a bright yellow. That makes it cool and sharp. Target: #FFF44F.
How to make golden yellow
Add a small amount of orange or red to yellow. For an older, richer gold add a touch of brown. Target: #FFD700. See what colors make gold.
How to make mustard yellow
Add a small amount of brown, or a tiny amount of purple (yellow's complement), to yellow. Both mute it into mustard. Target: #FFDB58, or a deeper #E1AD01.
How to make ochre
Mix yellow with brown and a touch of red. Target: #CC7722.
How to make light yellow
Add white to yellow. Too much white can look chalky, so add it slowly. Targets: light yellow #FFFFE0, lemon chiffon #FFFACD.
How to make dark yellow
Add a small amount of violet, burnt umber or brown. Avoid black: black and yellow mix to an olive green, not a dark yellow. Target: #B8860B (CSS darkgoldenrod).
How to make canary yellow
Use a bright, clean yellow with a very small amount of white. Target: #FFEF00.
Yellow mixing cheat sheet
| Shade | Paint recipe | HEX | RGB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon | Yellow + tiny white + hint of blue | #FFF44F | 255, 244, 79 |
| Golden yellow | Yellow + a little orange or red | #FFD700 | 255, 215, 0 |
| Mustard | Yellow + a little brown or purple | #FFDB58 | 255, 219, 88 |
| Deep mustard | Yellow + more brown | #E1AD01 | 225, 173, 1 |
| Ochre | Yellow + brown + touch of red | #CC7722 | 204, 119, 34 |
| Light yellow | Yellow + white | #FFFFE0 | 255, 255, 224 |
| Lemon chiffon | Yellow + white + hint of orange | #FFFACD | 255, 250, 205 |
| Dark yellow | Yellow + violet or burnt umber | #B8860B | 184, 134, 11 |
| Canary | Bright yellow + very little white | #FFEF00 | 255, 239, 0 |
Paste any of these into the color converter for CMYK and HSL values, or into HEX to Pantone for the closest Pantone yellow.
Why your yellow mix goes wrong
- It turns green. Black or blue got into the mix. Black plus yellow makes olive.
- It looks dirty. The brush or palette had other paint on it. Yellow shows contamination first, so mix it on a clean palette.
- It looks chalky. Too much white. Use less white, or lighten with a paler yellow instead.
- It turns orange too fast. Your red is too strong. Add red or orange with the tip of a brush.
Try mixes in the color mixer first to see paint, light and CMYK results side by side.
FAQ
What two colors make yellow?
In light, red and green make yellow. In paint and print, no two colors make yellow because it is a primary color.
Can you make yellow from other paint colors?
No. Yellow is a primary pigment, and mixing pigments always produces a darker color, so no mixture of other paints reaches yellow.
What color does yellow and green make?
Yellow and green make yellow-green, also called lime or chartreuse.
What color does red and yellow make?
Red and yellow make orange.
What color does blue and yellow make?
Blue and yellow make green in paint and white in light.
How do you make yellow darker without turning it green?
Add a small amount of violet, burnt umber or brown instead of black. Black and yellow mix to olive green.
What colors make mustard yellow?
Yellow plus a little brown, or yellow plus a tiny amount of purple, makes mustard.