What Colors Make Orange?
Red and yellow make orange. More yellow gives apricot; more red gives a deep burnt orange.
Red + Yellow = Orange
Red
1 part
Yellow
1 part
Orange
Equal parts give a true orange. Use a warm (orange-leaning) red for the most vivid result.
Magenta + Yellow = Orange
Magenta
1 part
Yellow
2 parts
Orange
The CMYK route — how orange is produced in print.
Adjusting your orange
To lighten: Add white for peach and apricot.
To darken: Add a touch of black or red for burnt orange and rust.
To mute or soften: Add a little blue (its complement) to soften it toward terracotta.
Mixing paint vs. mixing light
The recipes above describe subtractive mixing — how paint, ink and pigment behave. Each pigment absorbs part of the spectrum, so the more you add, the darker the mixture gets.
Screens work the opposite way, using additive mixing with red, green and blue light: the more you add, the brighter it gets. With light (RGB), orange is made from a lot of red light plus a moderate amount of green, e.g. #F07818.
Frequently asked about making orange
What colors make orange?
Red and yellow make orange. More yellow gives apricot; more red gives a deep burnt orange.
What two colors make orange?
Red + Yellow makes orange. Equal parts give a true orange. Use a warm (orange-leaning) red for the most vivid result.
How do you make orange lighter or darker?
Add white for peach and apricot. Add a touch of black or red for burnt orange and rust.
Is mixing orange paint the same as mixing orange light?
No. Paint mixes subtractively while light mixes additively. With light (RGB), orange is made from a lot of red light plus a moderate amount of green, e.g. #F07818.