Colour reproduction in photography, print and film each solved a genuinely difficult technical problem in a different way and on a different timeline — practical colour photography and colour cinema both took decades longer to become mainstream than black-and-white versions of the same medium.
Early practical colour photography processes, including the Autochrome process introduced in the early 20th century, were significantly more complex and expensive than black-and-white photography, which is part of why colour took decades to become the default.
Modern use · early 20th century
The CMYK printing model (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) became the standard subtractive colour model for colour printing, distinct from the RGB additive model used for screens.
Modern use
Colour cinema existed in various experimental forms from the early 20th century, but only became the dominant standard for mainstream film production by the mid-20th century, well after colour photography was established.
Modern use · 20th century
Historical claims above are scoped to a specific period, region or culture where relevant — none are presented as a single universal fact. See methodology.