Red is a primary color, which means you can combine it with other primary colors to create new hues like orange (red & yellow) and purple (red & blue).
But since red is a primary color, you might wonder what other colors can be combined to become red? In fact, can you even use other colors to produce red?
In this guide, you will learn all you need to know about what colors that make red.
The Short Answer
In paint (RYB) and in light (RGB), red is a primary color, so you cannot mix other paints or wavelengths of light to make red. In CMYK printing, magenta plus yellow combine to produce red. To shift an existing red, adjust it with white (lighter), black or blue (darker), yellow or orange (warmer), or magenta (cooler).
Red is one of the three primary colors on the RYB and RGB color wheels. For more on how the wheel works, see the full color wheel guide.
What Colors Make Red?
When painting, red cannot be created by combining any two hues. Since these three colors constitute the foundation for all other colors, the same would apply to the other primary colors as well.
While red cannot be made by combining any two colors using the red, yellow, and blue color wheel, there is a different method you may use to get red using a different color wheel: the cyan, magenta, and yellow color wheel.
Red, yellow, and blue are the three primary colors on the conventional color wheel. The alternative wheel, meanwhile, uses magenta, yellow, and cyan. Magenta and yellow, the primary hues of this color wheel, can be combined to get red.
Both these types of color wheel are known as “subtractive” color wheels as the pigments absorb (subtract) certain wavelengths of light, so that we perceive the remaining light as the color.
The opposite of subtractive mixing is additive mixing. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors in the additive color wheel, which is used for mixing light. The RGB (Red-Green-Blue) system is used for digital images. Again, red is a primary color here so can’t be mixed from other colors … though green or blue can be added to create different colors.
How to Make Red (Step-by-Step)
If you’re working with paint, you can’t make red from scratch. You need a red pigment to start. The good news is that almost any red can be shifted into the specific shade you want with small adjustments. The basic process:
- Start with the right base red. Cadmium red is a warm, slightly orange-leaning red that mixes cleanly. Alizarin crimson leans cool and is closer to a magenta-shifted red. Quinacridone red is the modern transparent equivalent. Pick the base based on the direction you want to end up.
- Decide which direction to shift. Lighter or darker (lightness), brighter or duller (saturation), warmer or cooler (temperature). Red shifts cleanly in most directions, but it darkens to brown easily, so go slowly when adding any complement.
- Lighten with white, in small amounts. Pure red plus white pushes toward pink. To keep the result reading as a light red rather than a pink, add a tiny amount of yellow or orange to keep the warmth.
- Darken with black, blue, or burnt umber. Black darkens cleanly. Phthalo blue or ultramarine pushes red toward burgundy or wine. Burnt umber gives a warmer, more earthy dark red, useful for brick and rust tones.
- Warm red with yellow or orange. A small amount of cadmium yellow or orange shifts cadmium red toward scarlet, vermillion, and coral.
- Cool red with magenta or quinacridone. A touch of quinacridone magenta pulls red toward crimson, raspberry, and ruby.
- Test on a swatch before committing. Red dries darker than it looks wet, especially in oils. Mix small, swatch it, let it dry, decide.
On screen, red is the additive primary, so you set the red channel to 255 and the green and blue channels to 0 for pure red (#FF0000). To shift the hue: raise the green channel slightly for warmer reds (toward orange), or raise the blue channel for cooler reds (toward magenta). In CMYK printing, red comes from combining magenta and yellow inks, with more magenta pushing toward crimson and more yellow pushing toward scarlet.
Mixing Different Shades of Red
Starting from a basic red, you can reach nearly every red-adjacent hue by adjusting lightness, saturation, and temperature. Each shade below has a recipe you can mix on a palette today, plus the closest hex code if you need to match it digitally.
How to Make Crimson
Crimson is a deep, slightly cool red with a hint of magenta. Mix crimson by combining cadmium red with a small amount of alizarin crimson or quinacridone magenta, in roughly a 4:1 ratio. For a deeper crimson, add a tiny touch of phthalo blue. Avoid black, which dulls the color.
How to Make Burgundy
Burgundy is a dark red-purple with a wine-like richness. Mix burgundy by combining alizarin crimson with a small amount of phthalo blue or ultramarine, in roughly a 5:1 ratio. For a warmer burgundy, add a touch of burnt umber. Burgundy reads more sophisticated than maroon and is common in fashion, hospitality, and editorial palettes.
How to Make Maroon
Maroon is a dark, slightly brownish red. Mix maroon by combining cadmium red with a small amount of black or burnt umber, in roughly a 4:1 ratio. For a more vibrant maroon, use burnt umber instead of black to keep the warmth. Maroon is common in collegiate branding, vintage design, and earthy palettes.
How to Make Scarlet
Scarlet is a bright, slightly warm red with a hint of orange. Mix scarlet by combining cadmium red with a small amount of cadmium orange, in roughly a 6:1 ratio. The closer your base red leans warm, the easier scarlet is to mix. Scarlet is the red used in classical military uniforms and high-energy branding.
How to Make Cherry Red
Cherry red is a bright, slightly cool red, somewhere between scarlet and crimson. Mix cherry by combining cadmium red with a small amount of quinacridone magenta and a tiny touch of white. The result reads juicy and saturated. Common in food packaging, Valentine’s design, and playful brand palettes.
How to Make Wine Red
Wine red is a dark, slightly brownish red with cooler undertones than burgundy. Mix wine by combining alizarin crimson with burnt umber and a small amount of black, in roughly 4:1:1 ratio. For a richer wine, layer transparent crimson over a darkened base. Used in luxury, hospitality, and autumnal palettes.
How to Make Coral
Coral is a warm, peachy red leaning toward orange. Mix coral by combining cadmium red with cadmium orange and a generous amount of white, in roughly 2:2:3 ratio. For a softer coral, add a tiny touch of yellow. Coral works well in beauty, hospitality, and summer-leaning palettes.
How to Make Cardinal Red
Cardinal red is a deep, slightly cool red, often used in collegiate athletics and uniform design. Mix cardinal by combining cadmium red with alizarin crimson and a small amount of black, in roughly 3:1:0.5 ratio. The result is darker than scarlet but cleaner than maroon.
How to Make Brick Red
Brick red is a muted, earthy red with a brown undertone. Mix brick by combining cadmium red with burnt umber and a small amount of yellow ochre, in roughly 4:2:1 ratio. The umber dulls the saturation while the ochre keeps the warmth. Used in heritage, architectural, and rustic palettes.
How to Make Mahogany
Mahogany is a deep, warm red-brown. Mix mahogany by combining cadmium red with burnt umber and a small amount of yellow ochre, in roughly 2:2:1 ratio. The umber shifts the red toward brown while the ochre adds warmth. Used heavily in furniture, leather, and traditional design.
How to Make Indian Red
Indian red is a softer, slightly muted red-brown. Mix Indian red by combining cadmium red with a small amount of burnt umber and a touch of white, in roughly 4:1:1 ratio. The result is calmer than pure cadmium red and reads more sophisticated. Common in earthy and warm-neutral palettes.
How to Make Vermillion
Vermillion is a vivid, slightly warm red, historically made from cinnabar pigment. Mix vermillion by combining cadmium red with a small amount of cadmium orange and a tiny touch of yellow, in roughly 5:1:0.3 ratio. The result is brighter than scarlet and warmer than crimson. Used in classical art and bold modern design.
How to Make Ruby Red
Ruby red is a vibrant, slightly cool red with strong magenta undertones. Mix ruby by combining alizarin crimson or quinacridone magenta with a small amount of cadmium red, in roughly a 3:1 ratio. The result is jewel-like and saturated. Common in jewelry branding, beauty packaging, and premium retail.
Quick Reference: Red Mixing Cheat Sheet
Every red shade above in one extractable table. Save it, copy it, paste it wherever you need it.
| Shade | Hex | Mixing Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Crimson | #DC143C | Cadmium Red + small Alizarin Crimson (4:1) |
| Burgundy | #800020 | Alizarin Crimson + small Phthalo Blue (5:1) |
| Maroon | #800000 | Cadmium Red + small Black or Burnt Umber (4:1) |
| Scarlet | #FF2400 | Cadmium Red + small Cadmium Orange (6:1) |
| Cherry Red | #DA2C43 | Cadmium Red + small Quinacridone + tiny White |
| Wine Red | #722F37 | Alizarin Crimson + Burnt Umber + small Black |
| Coral | #FF7F50 | Cadmium Red + Cadmium Orange + lots of White |
| Cardinal Red | #C41E3A | Cadmium Red + Alizarin Crimson + small Black |
| Brick Red | #CB4154 | Cadmium Red + Burnt Umber + small Yellow Ochre |
| Mahogany | #C04000 | Cadmium Red + Burnt Umber + small Yellow Ochre |
| Indian Red | #CD5C5C | Cadmium Red + small Burnt Umber + tiny White |
| Vermillion | #E34234 | Cadmium Red + small Cadmium Orange + tiny Yellow |
| Ruby Red | #E0115F | Alizarin Crimson + small Cadmium Red (3:1) |
Common Red Hex Colors
| Name | Hex Code | RGB Value |
|---|---|---|
| Poppy Red | #C83F49 | rgb(200, 63, 73) |
| Raspberry Red | #E30B5D | rgb(227, 11, 93) |
| Mahogony | #C04000 | rgb(192, 64, 0) |
| Indian Red | #CD5C5C | rgb(205, 92, 92) |
| Cerise Red | #DE3163 | rgb(222, 49, 99) |
| Major Magenta | #FF43A4 | rgb(255, 67, 164) |
| Hibiscus | #CC3168 | rgb(204, 49, 104) |
| Crimson | #DC143C | rgb(220, 20, 60) |
Why Your Red Mix Goes Wrong
Red is one of the more forgiving primaries to mix, but it has a few common failure modes:
- Your red turned brown. Too much complementary green, too much black, or too much burnt umber. Red shifts to brown faster than most colors expect. Pull back, add a small amount of pure cadmium red, and lighten with white if needed. If the brown is set, scrape off and start again.
- Your red looks pink. Too much white. Pure red plus any meaningful amount of white pushes hard toward pink. To keep a light red reading as red rather than pink, add a tiny amount of yellow or orange to maintain warmth.
- Your red looks dull or muddy. Your base red was lower-saturation, or you added a complement (green) by accident. Switch to a high-chroma red like quinacridone or cadmium and rebuild. If you’ve muted the color, restore saturation by glazing transparent red over the base.
- Your dark red went purple. Too much blue when darkening. Phthalo blue is concentrated and shifts red purple fast. Switch to ultramarine for less aggressive cooling, or use burnt umber to darken without shifting the hue.
In digital design, red is at hue value 0 (or 360, same thing) in HSL. Stay close to 0° for true red. Drift toward 350° for cooler red (crimson, ruby). Drift toward 10°-15° for warmer red (scarlet, vermillion). Saturation below 70% reads muted; lightness above 70% reads pink.
FAQs
Is red a primary color?
It depends on the system. In RGB light, red is primary. In RGY paints, red is primary. However, in CMY pigments (paint or ink), red is a mix of magenta and yellow.
Can you mix two colors to make red?
Yes, in pigments using the CMY color wheel. Mix magenta and yellow to get red. In light, red is a primary, so you cannot mix other light colors to create it.
What makes red in light versus paint?
Light uses additive color. In light, red is a primary color, along with green and blue. Paint uses subtractive color. Red comes from mixing magenta and yellow pigments when using the CMY color wheel.
How do printers make red ink?
Printers blend magenta and yellow dots. More magenta pushes it toward crimson, more yellow shifts it toward scarlet or orange.
Can I make a warm or cool red by mixing?
Yes. Add a little yellow or orange for a warm red. Add a touch of magenta or a cool pink for a cooler red.
What colors make burgundy?
Burgundy is made by combining alizarin crimson with a small amount of phthalo blue or ultramarine, in roughly a 5:1 ratio. The blue darkens the red and pulls it toward purple. For a warmer burgundy, add a touch of burnt umber. The closest hex code is #800020.
What colors make maroon?
Maroon is made by combining cadmium red with a small amount of black or burnt umber, in roughly a 4:1 ratio. Use burnt umber instead of black to keep the warmth and avoid graying out the color. Maroon is darker and earthier than burgundy. The closest hex code is #800000.
What colors make crimson?
Crimson is made by combining cadmium red with a small amount of alizarin crimson or quinacridone magenta, in roughly a 4:1 ratio. For a deeper crimson, add a tiny touch of phthalo blue. Avoid black, which mutes the saturation. The closest hex code is #DC143C.
How do I darken red without making it brown?
Use phthalo blue or ultramarine instead of black or burnt umber. Both blues darken red while pushing it toward burgundy or wine, which reads as a richer dark red rather than brown. Add the blue in tiny amounts since it’s powerful, and stop the moment you see purple appear if you want to stay in the red family.
How do I brighten a mixed red?
Increase the chroma by adding more magenta or a cleaner yellow. Avoid white for brightness, it lightens but also dulls the color.
Putting It Into Practice
Depending on the color wheel you’re using in paint, you may be able to create red through a combination of two primary colors: cyan and magenta. Whatever system you’re using, you can combine red with different hues to come up with a color that works for you.
Curious about how to make other primary colors? See our posts on what colors make yellow and what colors make blue.
Very interesting. We just bought. New home trying to come up with a color plan.
Unfortunately I’m one that has to see it all done to know if I like the color or not. All very interesting.