Oh boy, time to nerd out. The wavelengths that make up color are absorbed and reflected by different materials. The color we see is the wavelength that is reflected. Our brains are also interesting in that they automatically adjust the colors we see based off of light level. So, for instance, if you have a red box in a dark room, instead of seeing a dark blue/purple box because of the lack of light, your brain automatically registers the box as dark red. Or something like that. Source: NOVA. Episode: I’m too lazy to check.
