I am confused about color wheels. If I want to choose a complementary color for say yellow, I have learned that I can look at a color wheel and take the color on the opposite side of the wheel.
My concern is that if I look at different color wheels, the color that is on the opposite side to yellow is different. How can I know what color that really complements yellow, and what color wheel is the right one?
 
For example see:
http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/color_cast/color_wheel.jpg
compared to:
http://jilldenton.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/color-wheel.jpg 

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/Jim
www.jimsvanberg.se

One wheel is a "Mixing Colour Wheel", which is the traditional pigment related wheel. Here the primaries are red, yellow and blue. The other is a "Visual Colour Wheel" which is more suited to the screen (and everything else really), the primaries being red, blue and green. Most recommend using the Visual Colour Wheel which is this one: http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/color_cast/color_wheel.jpg .

Hey, thanks man :)

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/Jim
www.jimsvanberg.se

WOW - Thank You !!!

I just found this  ....  Before & After Magazine's Color Wheel PDF & ASE Swatch Palette

http://www.bamagazine.com/v/vspfiles/11-colorwheel/

 

This color wheel is a newly exanded version of the one we use in Before & After magazine. It has 168 colors, tints and shades, and comes with an ASE file so you can add its colors to your Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator Swatches palettes.

Our color wheel file 2 pages (1 white, 1 black), 287kb

 

 Download PDF

 

Hey, great stuff! :D

Thanks a bunch!

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/Jim
www.jimsvanberg.se

Why not take  peak at http://kuler.adobe.com/ it's all about colour and harmonies. With a free registration you can uppload an image and extract a palette from it. Has a wheel and different harmony rules. You can download an AIR app so you have it on your computer… well it's worth a peak.

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this avitar will have to do for now :)

Thanks :) I sure will!

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/Jim
www.jimsvanberg.se