As a color-timid spinner, I have two problems: I need to learn how to plan color combinations that are neither nauseating nor cloying, and I don’t know what the finished product will look like. The choices of hand dyed roving are breathtaking, but what if I want to mix my own? Here are my 4 favorite tools for exploring color.
Adobe Color
by Adobe Created with graphic designers in mind, Adobe’s free website is part paintbox and part easy color selector. Choose from color palettes saved by members, create your own color scheme, upload your own photo and derive a palette, and play with a variety of color systems. The interface is intuitive, and the options are fun to explore.
What I like You can easily adjust just one element of the palette or shift a bunch together.
Paletton can show you how a selection of colors will appear to people with a variety of visual impairments.
Paletton (formerly Color Scheme Designer)
by Petr Staníček A digital version of a color wheel, this site begins with main color and lets you build a color scheme around it. By adjusting saturation, value, and the angles of the color wheel, users can make minute adjustments to the colors individually or as a group. It shows the wide range of color palettes that can be made from just one main color in one color scheme.
What I like There are some unusual choices built into the site, like a “randomize” button and a breakdown of how the colors will appear to people with different kinds of color blindness.
Cohesive Colors
by Erica Schoonmaker and Javier Bórquez Originally built by web designers, this palette maker allows you to select a suite of colors, then select an overlay color. Adjust the hue and value of the overlay to unify the palette.
What I like The overlay color mimics the way a dyebath can unify an assortment of hand painted roving (and tame an otherwise ugly palette).
Colorhunt shows an array of curated palettes (plus rankings by popularity).
Color Hunt
A cross between Pinterest and the paint chip aisle, Color Hunt bills itself as “a curated collection of beautiful colors, updated daily.” Browse the palettes on the site, receive a new one by email each week, or follow the site on Facebook to see palettes with the photos they’re pulled from.
What I like Submitted palettes are curated and rated by users, giving you an idea of what color schemes are popular.