Color picker

{{Short description|Graphical user interface element}} [[Image:GTK color chooser.png|thumb|A screenshot of the GTK+ 2 color picker.]] [[Image:Qt color chooser.png|thumb|A screenshot of the Qt color picker.]] [[File:Gimp color selector 03.gif|thumb|GIMP color picker.]] A '''color picker''' (also '''color chooser''' or '''color tool''') is a graphical user interface widget, usually found within graphics software or online, used to select colors and, in some cases, to create color schemes (the color picker might be more sophisticated than the palette included with the program).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gumster |first1=Jason van |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyipXlP-5fYC&dq=color+picker+from+image&pg=PA105 |title=GIMP Bible |last2=Shimonski |first2=Robert |date=2011-02-04 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |isbn=978-1-118-08113-6 |language=en}}</ref> Operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or macOS have a system color picker,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zobkiw |first=Joe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J4e3MmEDPhUC&dq=color+picker+from+image&pg=PA202 |title=Mac OS X: Advanced Development Techniques |date=2003 |publisher=Sams Publishing |isbn=978-0-672-32526-7 |language=en}}</ref> which can be used by third-party programs (e.g., Adobe Photoshop).<ref>Feisner and Reed 2014, Chapter 5: "Digital Color Media and Technology", Glossary: "Color picker"</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bauer |first1=Peter |last2=Foster |first2=Jeff |title=Using Adobe Photoshop 7 |publisher=Que Publishing |year=2002 |isbn=9780789727602 |pages=209}}</ref>

==History== {{Expand section|date=February 2022}} The concept of color pickers dates back to the early days of computer graphics and digital design.<ref>{{Cite web |last=alvinashcraft |date=2024-07-12 |title=PowerToys Awake utility for Windows |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/awake |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}</ref> Early versions were rudimentary, often featuring basic color palettes and limited functionality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=alvinashcraft |date=2024-07-12 |title=PowerToys Color Picker utility for Windows |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/color-picker |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}</ref> One of the first drawing programs to include a color picker was ''SketchPad'' (also referred to as ''LisaSketch''), designed by Bill Atkinson in 1983 to showcase ''LisaGraf's'' capabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starc |first=Janez |date=August 8, 2025 |title=From MacSketch to MacPaint |url=https://lowendmac.com/2025/from-macsketch-to-macpaint/ }}</ref> It used a black and white pattern system, using dithering to create the illusion of color depth.

With the increased popularity of personal computers with color graphics, there soon came software similar to SketchPad that supported more than two colors, like Broderbund's Dazzle Draw for the Apple II or Electronic Arts' Deluxe Paint. However, the color pickers present in those programs relied on indexed colors. Color pickers, resembling ones used in modern software with support for direct, 24-bit color, appeared soon after the release of the Macintosh II, with the release of programs like Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter.

As the increase of color depth allowed the choice of significantly more colors, the shape and form of color pickers started to diverge. For example, Adobe Photoshop used a hue-saturation color wheel with a slider for brightness in version 0.63, later on switching to a rectangular design accompanied by a hue slider.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 4, 2005 |title=Photoshop Colour picker |url=https://guidebookgallery.org/apps/photoshop/colourpicker |access-date=August 23, 2025 |website=GUIdebook Gallery}}</ref> Corel Painter pioneered the triangular saturation and brightness picker with a hue ring around it, aiming to better represent the continuity of the hue spectrum and the relationship between saturation and brightness.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hugo |first=Daniel |date=July 21, 2024 |title=Color picker as a trusty rebound hobby project |url=https://hugodaniel.com/posts/color-picker/ |access-date=August 23, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=John |first=Derry |date=December 11, 2018 |title=Color Wheel Keeps on Turnin' |url=https://www.pixlart.com/pixlart/2018/12/11/color-wheel-keeps-on-turnin |access-date=August 23, 2025}}</ref>

==Purpose== A color picker is used to select and adjust color values. In graphic design and image editing, users typically choose colors via an interface with a visual representation of a color—organized with quasi-perceptually-relevant hue, saturation and lightness dimensions (HSL) – 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== {{RGB slider|caption=An example color picker that uses sliders and text boxes to select the color}} 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.

Usually, color values are also displayed numerically, so they can be precisely remembered and keyed-in later, such as three values of 0-255 representing red, green, and blue, respectively.

=== Eyedropper === The eyedropper is a tool present in most color pickers and graphics software that allows a user to read a color at a specific point in an image, or position on a display. This enables the color to be transferred to other applications particularly quickly.

Modern implementations of eyedropper tools are also available as browser extensions, allowing users to pick colors directly from web pages, such as in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

== Working == A color picker has two main parts, first a color slider and second a color canvas. The color slider has a linear or radial gradient of the seven rainbow colors i.e. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. It allows one to choose any of the seven primary colors.

The color value chosen from the color slider instantly reflects in the color canvas. The color canvas is a mixture of two linear color gradients. First a linear gradient of the current chosen color and second a linear gradient of the black color. This mixture of color gradients lets one choose a lighter and darker version of the current chosen color from the color slider.

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== *{{Citation |last1=Feisner |first1=Edith Anderson |last2=Reed |first2=Ronald |year=2014 |title=Color Studies |publisher=Fairchild Books |isbn=9781609015312 |publication-place=New York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TIeAwAAQBAJ }}

== External links == * [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/color_value Various color formats]

picker Category:Color schemes Category:Graphics software