How to Select Perfectly Matching Color Combinations - Mini-Guide, Part 10

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Color Scheme Generator 2 ***DEAD

Color Scheme Generator 2 creates different types of color schemes based on one color, which uses algorithms to find other colors that supplement the base color using the color scheme of your choice such as monochromatic, contrast, triad, tetrad and analogic. The help page explains the process and provides other information including downloading the application.

Not only do you find different color schemes with Color Scheme Generator 2, but also you can see how they look to people with various types of color blindness. Each type of color blindness is accompanied with population information -- how much of the population has the condition. Just pick one condition and the color scheme changes.

The application immediately displays variations of your selected color scheme. Choices include pastel, dark pastel, light pastel, contrast and pale. You can enter RGB values (six-digit hexadecimal code). You can save the URL of your scheme for later use.

Price: Free

MasterColors

MasterColors contains a Masters Colors free online color seminar that comes with six lessons, templates and Photoshop files for downloading. The company also offers HVC Color Composer, a color design tool available for Macs and Windows. It requires specific versions of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Download the free demo. There are two versions: Standard and Pro. Pro has all the same features as standard, plus you can save palettes as Photoshop palette files, more palette creation options and measure contrast. Also note there are two versions of standard: one is a plugin for Photoshop and the other is a plugin for InDesign.

Price: HVC Color Composer Professional, Photoshop Plugin: USD $129.95. HVC Color Composer Standard, Photoshop Plugin: USD $49.95. HVC Color Composer Standard, InDesign Plugin: $49.95.

Colors on the Web

Colors on the Web is a site focused on using colors in web design. It covers color theory, the color wheel, color combinations, color physics, color psychology and more.

The site comes with a Color Wizard that generates matching colors based on a selected color. You can also spin the Color Wheel to get new ideas.

Price: Free

Colr ***DEAD

Colr is a web-based color playground where you can play with colors and words. Pick a color and enter a tag of what it reminds you of. For instance, looking at green makes you think of grass. So you add "grass" as a tag.

You can remove tags you don't like, but they're not gone for good. Each color has an "H" for history that shows all the added and removed tags. You can also add the tag back to the color.

Price: Free

Colorcell

Colorcell is an online system for finding the most popular color combinations through a community effort. Each cell is composed of four single colors and the combination of the colors in a cell makes its character.

The introduction and frequently asked questions provide a detailed explanation how how the cells live and die in the virtual livingspace of 100 cells. A user can vote for one to three favorite cells per day, or click the cell to get its details.

The statistics provide an overview on the number of cells created, died, alive, selected and average fitness. The tool has been in existence since March of 2002. This unique community application isn't about finding perfect color combinations, but seeing what colors are most popular with the community.

Price: Free

ColorBlender

ColorBlender is an online tool for color matching and palette design. After selecting a preferred color, the application automatically calculates a 6-color matching palette (a blend). Blends can be saved to future reference.

Once you discover a blend you like, you can download it as a Photoshop Color Table (.act) or Illustrator Colors (.eps) file or email the blend. If you don't have a preference, load a random blend for inspiration. The tool can suggest a PANTONE match. The online help provides more information about ColorBlender.

Price: Free