7 Tools to Create the Perfect Color Scheme

If you’ve ever worked with color before, you probably already know some colors will go better together than others. Creating beautiful, aesthetically pleasing color schemes that are appealing to the eye is important, but how do you do it? With access to these seven amazing tools, you’ll be able to create the perfect color scheme each and every time!

1. ColourLovers

This website allows you to create “palettes,” patterns, pattern templates and even your own colors. As an added bonus, if you created a color that’s never before appeared in a palette on ColourLovers, you get to be the one to name it!

Palettes can be created in three different ways. The basic approach includes only the color-picking tool. The advanced approach uses advanced software called COPASO to help you create your perfect palette. With the advanced option, you’re also able to make alterations to color widths in the palette. The next option, From a Photo, gives you the opportunity to design a color palette based on inspiration from a photograph. You can upload a picture from the internet, posting it in the gallery where others can see it too. But you can reserve it for your own private use. It even allows you to find awesome pictures on Flickr.

2. Adobe Kuler

This tool features a substantial fullscreen sized color picker along with features to help you find whatever colors you’re looking for, whether they’re monochromatic, complementary, analogous, triad, etc.

Adobe Kuler refers to its color schemes as themes. You can create color themes by dragging tiny circles around the wheel, prompting the creation of any number of color themes. If you’re out and about, you can also use the camera mode on your mobile device to capture the interesting colors around you, filing them for later use on Adobe Kuler in your photo library. Adobe Kuler has an active community – mostly comprised of professionals.

3. Pictaculous

This website, which is completely free, provides you with an easy way to evaluate the color palette of your image. All you have to do is upload an image, and Pictaculous will reveal to you a palette generated from the colors in the image. Once you upload your image, the two to five best colors to go with that image will be displayed towards the top of the page. You can even import these color palettes into Photoshop! Pictaculous also recommends similar color schemes from Adobe Kuler and ColourLovers, which is an added bonus.

4. Color Scheme Designer

With this tool, you’ll have access to a color wheel with beautiful bold hues of every color represented. You also have the option to view monochromatic, complementary, triad, tetrad, analogic and accented analogic color schemes.

On Color Scheme Designer, you can also go to the tab labeled “random” and click “randomize palette,” where it will present you with a new color palette with each click. This site is more focused on color theory than some of the other tools. And the schemes you can create here consist of four different colors.

5. ColorBlender

This tool is extremely user friendly and allows you to quickly generate a color scheme. ColorBlender presents you with four colors accompanied by two neutrals – one light and one dark. You can get started on the site by choosing a color in the color picker tool, and you’ll instantly be presented with a corresponding palette – or “blend” as they call it – in six different colors. You also have the option of editing or tweaking the colors in your blend by going to the direct edit mode.

6.ColoRotate

This engaging tool makes colors come alive in three dimensions! Here you have the option of creating your very own palette with anywhere from three to 16 colors, or you can browse the currently available palettes.

ColoRotate also gives you the option of making adjustments and tweaking already existing palettes. Although this tool might be a bit more challenging to learn than some of the others, it is entirely worth it.

7. ColRD

This tool gives you the opportunity to create colors, patterns, gradients and palettes. Because ColRD doesn’t limit users to just five colors in their palettes, it offers a bit more flexibility than what you would find on ColourLovers. With the Discover tab, you can browse the graphics they have available. Plus you can use the gradient tool to view variations in color and intensity.

Maybe you’re a professional who works with color on a daily basis. Perhaps you’re a bride trying to plan the perfect color palette for your wedding. What if you’re redecorating your home and you’re looking for winning color combinations for your walls? Or maybe you just like having fun and experimenting with color. Whatever the case, the tools listed above are just the thing you need. Check them out, and you just might find yourself blown away by a world of breathtakingly brilliant color you never even knew existed!