Color tool

A screenshot of the GTK+ color picker.

A screenshot of the Qt color picker.

GIMP color picker.

A color tool, color picker, or color chooser in an application, is a utility, usually found within graphics software or online, used to choose colors or create color schemes.^[1]

In the case of a web page, a color picker is typically a graphical user interface widget that allows a user to select a color value.

Tool use

Many such tools exist on the world wide web which include features such as a color harmonization interface, a color picker, RGB and HSL conversion and manipulation, a collection of saved schemes, and other similar characteristics. Some tools also exist in the form of image color picking (ie. picking colors directly from an image of yours). Designers, developers, and other professionals that work with other types of screen or print media use these tools in their work.

Web page use

On web pages, a color picker will appear as a pop-up near or below a text input field, allowing the user to select a color value, either decimal or hexadecimal (or both), by choosing the color with a mouse click. A color picker can provide RGB color values, CMYK, or both. They can be used to allow a user to customize the colors of various elements on the page.

Purpose

A color tool is used to preview and test color values. In graphic design and image editing, users typically choose colors via an interface with a visual representation of a color – often organized with quasi-perceptually-relevant hue, lightness, and saturation dimensions (HLS) – instead of keying in alphanumeric text values. Because color appearance depends on comparison of neighboring colors (see color vision), many interfaces attempt to clarify the relationships between colors.

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.

Each color is represented as a unique number. In many cases it is a hexadecimal 24-bit number (e. g. #FF0000 represents pure red in HTML and is also used in many graphic editors). In case of an external color tool, the number of the chosen color is copied to the clipboard and pasted to an application where it is applied.

Notes

↑ Feisner and Reed 2014, Chapter 5: "Digital Color Media and Technology", Glossary: "Color picker"

References

Feisner, Edith Anderson; Reed, Ronald (2014), Color Studies, New York: Fairchild Books

Color topics

Color science

Color physics	Electromagnetic spectrum Light Rainbow Visible Spectral colors Chromophore Structural coloration Animal coloration On Vision and Colors Metamerism Spectral power distribution

Color perception	Color vision Color blindness test Tetrachromacy Color constancy Color term Color depth Color photography Spot color Color printing Web colors Color mapping Color code Color management Chrominance False color Chroma key Color balance Color cast Color temperature Eigengrau

Color psychology	Color symbolism Color preferences Lüscher color test Kruithof curve Political color National colors Chromophobia Chromotherapy

Color
philosophy

Color space	Color model additive subtractive Color mixing Primary color Secondary color Tertiary color (intermediate) Quaternary color Quinary color Aggressive color (warm) Receding color (cool) Pastel colors Color gradient

Color scheme	Color tool Monochromatic colors Complementary colors Analogous colors Achromatic colors (Neutral) Polychromatic colors Impossible colors Light-on-dark Tinctures in heraldry

Color theory	Chromaticity diagram Color solid Color wheel Color triangle Color analysis (art) Color realism (art style)

Color terms

Basic terms	Red Green Blue Yellow Orange Purple Pink Brown Black Gray White

Cultural differences	Linguistic relativity and the color naming debate Blue–green distinction in language Color history Color in Chinese culture Traditional colors of Japan Human skin color

Color dimensions	Hue Dichromatism Colorfulness (chroma and saturation) Tints and shades Lightness (tone and value) Grayscale

Color
organizations

Lists

Category
Portal
Index of color-related articles

Widgets (List of …)

Command input	Adjustment handle Button Context menu Drop-down list Hamburger button Menu Pie menu

Data input-output	Checkbox Color picker Combo box Cycle button Date Picker Grid view List box List builder Radio button Scrollbar Search box Slider Spinner Text box

Informational	Balloon help Head-up display in computing Head-up display in video games Icon Infobar Label Loading screen Progress indicator Progress bar Splash screen Throbber Sidebar Status bar Toast Tooltip

Containers	Accordion Disclosure widget Frame/Fieldset Menu bar Menu button Panel Popover Ribbon Tab Toolbar Window Workspace

Navigational	Address bar Breadcrumb Hyperlink Navigation bar Pager Tree view

Special windows	About box Alert dialog box Dialog box File dialog Inspector window Modal window Palette window

Related concepts	File viewer List of graphical user interface elements Layout manager Look and feel Mouseover Widget toolkit WIMP

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.