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Revision as of 18:28, 14 December 2006 by 163.231.6.67 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A Color tool is an application, usually found within image editing software and online, used for the purposes of color management, creating color schemes, picking colors, and more.
Many such tools exist on the world wide web, and generally feature a color harmonization interface, a color picker, RGB and HSL conversion and manipulation, a collection of saved schemes, and other similar characteristics. Web masters, designers, developers, and professionals that work with other types of screen or print media use these tools in their work.
Purpose
A color tool is necessary in order to visualize color values. When desiging web pages, or utilizing graphic software in order to manipulate raster images or work with vector graphics, the user will be aided by seeing a visual representation of a color, instead of an alphanumeric text value. Other facets of web design, such as spacing or dimensions, or even image manipulation do not require such immediate visualization. In addition, because various colors have relationships to other colors, a tool is useful because it helps find related colors. Color theory explains such relationships. Color tools are also useful because they permit the alteration of a color by different types of values, including hue, saturation, lightness, or RGB and CMYK values.
Interface
Color tools can vary in their interface. Some may use sliders, buttons, text boxes for color values, or direct manipulation. Often a two dimensional square is used to create a range of color values (such as lightness and saturation) that can be clicked on or selected in some other manner. Drag and drop, color droppers, and various other forms of interfaces are commonly used as well.
Color Tools on the web
A list of color tools available online.
Name | Creator | Availability | Cost (USD) | Features |
---|---|---|---|---|
Color Tool Alpha | Share Wonders | Online | Free | HSL & RGB Color picker, variations, color blender, gradients, schemes, color scheme testing on website |
Html Color Codes | Html-color-codes.info | Online | Free | Dynamic html color codes chart and color picker |
AccessColor | AccessKeys.org | Online | Free | Web page CSS analyses, Color contrast formula calculus, on-line HTML report |
Color Scheme Generator 2 | Well Styled | Online | Free | Schemes, Comparisons, Variations (HSL, RGB, Contrast), Color Wheel |
HTML Color Code Combination Chooser | SitePro Central | Online | Free | Schemes, Comparisons, Variations, RGB Sliders, HSB Picker |
Webmaster's Color Lab | VisiBone | Online | Free | Color Wheel, Comparisons, CYMK Information |
Color Toy 2 | Defence Mechanism | Online | Free | Schemes, Variations, RGB and Hex input |
Color Conversion | Forret | Online | Free | Conversion (RGB, CMYK), Color blending, variations, gradients |
Colr.org | Colr.org | Online | Free | Schemes, color picker, colors and scheme from photos & websites, color tagging |
Easy RGB | EasyRGB | Online | Free | Conversions, formulas, color calculator, harmonies and color matching |
Color Palette Creator | slayeroffice | Online | Free | Blending, Conversion (RGB, Hexidecimal) |
Color Blender | Meyer Web | Online | Free | Sophisticated Blending, RGB and Hex input |
ColorMatch Redux | StylePhreak | Online | Free | RGB sliders, variations, Conversion (RGB, Hex) |
Colourlovers | Colour Lovers | Online | Free | Colors and palette library with comments |
Color Palette Generator | DeGraeve.com | Online | Free | Generate color palette from an image |
Color Palette Generator 2 | jrm.cc | Online | Free | Generate color palette from an image |
X11, HMTL, WEB colors | mshaffer.com | Online | Free | Harmony Color wheel and Color picker that includes categorized colors described in wikipedia articles |
100 Random Colors | Regnard Kreisler C. Raquedan | Online | Free | Generates 100 random colors |
ColorBlender | ColorBlender | Online | Free | RGB Slider, variations, color blending, pantone |
Color Scheme | Well Styled | Online | Free | Schemes, Comparisons, Variations (HSL, RGB, Contrast), Color Wheel |
Color Swatch Control | December.com | Online | Free | Variations (HSL, RGB), sliders, random |
Color Synthaxis | SynthAxis | Online | Free | Direct Manipulation interface, comparison, blending, 3 kinds of interpolation, variation, RGB & HSV sliders, scientific and artistic palette modes, Luminosity equalization, physical light calculation, scheme creator |
Color Whore | ColorWhore | Online | Free | Variations |
Color Contrast Analyzer | Juicy Studio | Online | Free | Color analysis, detailed information, contrast |
Colour Selector | Limitless Innovations | Online | Free | Swatches, blending, color navigation, schemes, and color mixer |
Eye Dropper Color Mixer | metasphere.net | Online | Free | Change background color by selecting a color |
Infohound Color Schemer | InfoHound | Online | Free | Color picker, schemes |
Triple Code Munsell Palette | TripleCode | Online | Free | Direct Manipulation interface, Munsell Palette |
Unsafe Color Match | neteffeck.dk | Online | Free | Variations, comparison |
Web Color Visualizer | IDEO | Online | Free | dynamic visualization of selected colors |
Colour Contrast Check | Snook.ca | Online | Free | RGB sliders, color comparison, contrast comparison, HSB information for colors |
Color contrast verification tool | Hewlett-Packard | Online | Free | RGB input boxes (hex and decimal), contrast comparison, brightness value, contrast check |
500+ Colours | clowford.com | Online | Free | Over 500 named colors |
Color Code Converter | Easycalculation.com | Online | Free | Hexadecimal to RGB color code converter, HTML color code converter and chooser, color preview |
ColorCombos | ColorCombos.com | Online | Free | Select and test color combinations, saved schemes, preview colors, grab colors from website, color browser |
ColorJack | ColorJack | Online | Free | |
Yafla color | Yafla | Online | Free | Convert between HSV & RGB, and create color themes based upon color theory |
Colors on the web | Donald Johansson | Online | Free | |
Colorwheel Calculator | Sessions.edu | Online | Free | |
Colorzilla | iosart | Download (Firefox extension) | Free | Color picker, Eyedropper (get colors from website), save color to clipboard, Palette library, Conversion (RGB, Hex, HSV (warning: uses non-standard HSV values)) |
GenoPal Online | Genometri Color | Online | Free online | Selection based on Human Perception NOT on Color Wheel. |
Color Schemer | Color Schemer | Download | $49.99 | Color Wheel, Schemes, Comparisons, Variations, Color Picker, Colors from Photos |
See also
- Color theory
- Web colors
- Color balance
- Color space
- HSL color space
- HSV color space
- RGB color space
- Color
- Web design