# colorcurio.us Library

Canonical URL: https://colorcurio.us/library
Source type: Directory

> A hand-curated directory of color resources — 98 entries, each chosen and annotated by one curator.

## Accessibility

- [Viz Palette](https://projects.susielu.com/viz-palette) — Build and evaluate color palettes for data visualization with colorblind simulation. _(Susie Lu · data-viz, palettes, accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/viz-palette
- [Data Color Picker](https://www.learnui.design/tools/data-color-picker.html) — Generate accessible color palettes optimized for data visualization with automatic contrast checking. _(Learn UI Design · data-viz, palettes, accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/data-color-picker
- [Contrast Ratio Calculator](https://contrast-ratio.com/) — Simple, elegant tool by Lea Verou for checking color contrast against WCAG requirements. _(Lea Verou · accessibility, interactive, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/contrast-ratio
- [Color Review](https://color.review/) — Evaluate your color palette with simulations for various types of color blindness. _(Anton Robsarve · accessibility, interactive, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-review
- [Reasonable Colors](https://www.reasonable.work/colors/) — Open-source color system with guaranteed accessible contrast ratios between any two shades. _(Matthew Howell · palettes, accessibility, design-systems)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/reasonable-colors
- [Radix Colors](https://www.radix-ui.com/colors) — A gorgeous, accessible color system designed for building high-quality web interfaces. _(palettes, design-systems, accessibility, css)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/radix-colors
- [Leonardo Color](https://leonardocolor.io/) — Adobe's contrast-based color generator that creates accessible color systems from a single key color. _(accessibility, design-systems, palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/leonardo
- [Huetone](https://huetone.ardov.me/) — Create accessible color systems using LCH color space with built-in contrast checking. _(Alexey Ardov · color-spaces, accessibility, design-systems, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/huetone
- [Accessible color matrix](https://toolness.github.io/accessible-color-matrix/) — A tool by Toolness to visualize contrast ratios between all possible combinations in a palette. _(accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/accessible-color-matrix
- [contrast grid](https://contrast-grid.eightshapes.com/) — A grid-based tool to check contrast compliance for many colors at once. _(accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/contrast-grid
- [Primer Prism](https://primer.style/prism/) — A tool for creating and adjusting accessible color systems, used by GitHub. _(accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/primer-prism
- [Accessible Palette](https://accessiblepalette.com) — Create and edit palettes while monitoring accessibility and contrast ratios. _(accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/accessible-palette
- [Genome Color Tool](https://www.genomecolor.space) — A specialized tool for visualizing and selecting colors for genomic data. _(accessibility, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/genome-color-tool

## Colormaps

- [ColorBrewer 2.0](https://colorbrewer2.org/) — The classic tool for selecting color schemes for maps and data visualization, based on research by Cynthia Brewer. _(Cynthia Brewer · cartography, data-viz, palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorbrewer
- [scientific colour maps](https://www.fabiocrameri.ch/colourmaps/) — Fabio Crameri's collection of perceptually uniform colormaps to prevent data distortion. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/scientific-colour-maps
- [cmocean](https://matplotlib.org/cmocean/) — Beautiful, perceptually uniform colormaps developed by Kristen Thyng for oceanography. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/cmocean
- [CMasher](https://github.com/1313e/CMasher) — A collection of scientific colormaps for making visually pleasing and accurate plots. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/cmasher
- [mpl colormaps](https://bids.github.io/colormap/) — Reference documentation for the built-in colormaps in the Matplotlib Python library. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/mpl-colormaps
- [Pratiman-91 Colormaps](https://pratiman-91.github.io/colormaps/) — A collection of scientific colormaps designed for clarity and accuracy. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/pratiman-91-colormaps
- [mpl color guide](https://matplotlib.org/stable/tutorials/colors/colormaps.html) — Matplotlib's comprehensive tutorial on using colormaps effectively. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/mpl-color-guide
- [Colormoves](https://sciviscolor.org/colormoves/overview/) — A suite of tools for creating custom colormaps for scientific visualization. _(reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colormoves

## Palettes

- [Chroma.js](https://gka.github.io/chroma.js/) — A small but powerful library for color conversions, color scales, and color interpolation. _(Gregor Aisch · color-spaces, javascript, palettes)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/chroma-js
- [Colormind](http://colormind.io/) — AI-powered color palette generator that learns color styles from photographs, movies, and art. _(palettes, interactive, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colormind
- [CARTOColors](https://carto.com/carto-colors/) — Data-driven color schemes designed specifically for cartography and map visualization. _(cartography, palettes, data-viz)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/carto-colors
- [Coolors](https://coolors.co/) — Fast color scheme generator with export options for various formats and design tools. _(palettes, interactive, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/coolors
- [Adobe Color](https://color.adobe.com/) — Create color schemes using various harmony rules, extract themes from images, and explore trends. _(palettes, color-theory, interactive, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/adobe-color
- [Color Thief](https://lokeshdhakar.com/projects/color-thief/) — Extract dominant colors from images using JavaScript. Great for dynamic color schemes. _(Lokesh Dhakar · javascript, palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-thief
- [Tailwind CSS Color Generator](https://uicolors.app/create) — Generate custom Tailwind color scales from a single hex color using perceptual algorithms. _(css, design-systems, palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/tailwind-color-generator
- [Open Color](https://yeun.github.io/open-color/) — Open-source color scheme optimized for UI design with carefully tuned saturation and lightness. _(palettes, design-systems, css)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/open-color
- [Poline](https://meodai.github.io/poline/) — Generate color palettes using hue interpolation with mathematical precision. _(David Aerne · palettes, color-spaces, interactive, javascript)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/poline
- [Mixbox](https://scrtwpns.com/mixbox/) — A library that simulates natural pigment mixing for more realistic color blending results. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/mixbox
- [cpt-city](http://soliton.vm.bytemark.co.uk/pub/cpt-city/) — A massive archive of color palettes from various software and cartographic sources. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/cpt-city
- [Artist Pigments](https://artistpigments.org) — An open database connecting digital color values to real-world pigment information. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/artist-pigments
- [HD Gradients](https://gradient.style/) — A tool to generate smooth, high-definition gradients using perceptually uniform color spaces. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/hd-gradients
- [Randoma11y](https://randoma11y.com/) — Generates random high-contrast color pairs that meet accessibility guidelines. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/randoma11y
- [wide gamut](https://www.wide-gamut.com) — A guide to understanding wide gamut color spaces like P3 and Rec.2020 on the web. _(color-spaces, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/wide-gamut
- [vega schemes](https://vega.github.io/vega/docs/schemes/) — The official reference for color schemes available in the Vega visualization ecosystem. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/vega-schemes
- [Colorgorical](http://vrl.cs.brown.edu/color) — A tool to generate categorical color palettes that balance perceptual distance and aesthetic preference. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorgorical
- [i want hue](https://medialab.github.io/iwanthue/) — A tool for generating optimally distinct color palettes for data visualization. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/i-want-hue
- [Color gradient designer](https://eltos.github.io/gradient/) — An interactive tool for designing complex, multi-stop gradients. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-gradient-designer
- [Color Controversy](https://colorcontroversy.com/colors) — An interactive essay exploring the subjective and surprising nature of color perception. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-controversy
- [Color Designer](https://colordesigner.io) — A comprehensive suite of color tools including mixing, blending, and scheme generation. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-designer
- [Scale](https://hihayk.github.io/scale/) — Hayk's tool for generating color scales with flexible configuration. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/scale
- [spectral.js](https://github.com/rvanwijnen/spectral.js) — A JavaScript library for working with spectral color data and realistic mixing. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/spectral-js
- [r-Colorspace](https://colorspace.r-forge.r-project.org/index.html) — The R package that provides a robust foundation for manipulating colors in HCL space. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/r-colorspace
- [MapColPal](https://mapcolpal.org/) — A tool to explore and evaluate color palettes for thematic maps. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/mapcolpal
- [famous css palettes](https://xaviesteve.com/pro/colorpalettes/) — A collection of color palettes used by famous websites and brands. _(reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/famous-css-palettes
- [colorwaze](https://colorwaze.com) — A platform for discovering and sharing color palettes. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorwaze
- [Color proportions of an image](https://www.geotests.net/couleurs/frequences_en.html) — Analyze the distribution and proportions of colors within an uploaded image. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-proportions-of-an-image
- [Pigment by Shapefactory](https://pigment.shapefactory.co/) — A unique palette generator that focuses on lighting and pigment interactions. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/pigment-by-shapefactory
- [NASA Panoply colorbars](https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/panoply/colorbars/) — Color tables used in NASA's Panoply data viewer. _(palettes, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/nasa-panoply-colorbars
- [Super cool palette](https://supercolorpalette.com) — A fast and simple palette generator with instant preview. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/super-cool-palette
- [Glasbey - categorical tool](https://github.com/lmcinnes/glasbey) — Python library for generating maximally distinct categorical color palettes. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/glasbey-categorical-tool
- [supa-palette](https://www.supa-palette.com/) — An advanced palette generator and manager, often used with Figma. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/supa-palette
- [colorable](https://colorable.jxnblk.com) — A contrast checker that shows all passing combinations for a given set of colors. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorable
- [palx](https://github.com/jxnblk/palx) — Generates a full spectrum design system palette from a single base color. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/palx
- [NCL color tables](https://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Graphics/color_table_gallery.shtml) — A gallery of color tables from the NCAR Command Language visualization tool. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/ncl-color-tables
- [Palettable](https://jiffyclub.github.io/palettable/) — A fun, Tinder-like tool for generating color palettes by liking or disliking colors. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/palettable
- [Picular](https://picular.co/) — A search engine for colors—type a word and get associated colors. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/picular
- [Palettte App](https://palettte.app) — A precise tool for building, analyzing, and editing smooth color palettes. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/palettte-app
- [Give Me Colors](https://observablehq.com/@makio135/give-me-colors) — An Observable notebook for generating and exploring color lists. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/give-me-colors
- [ee palettes](https://github.com/gee-community/ee-palettes) — A collection of color palettes for use with Google Earth Engine. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/ee-palettes
- [colorcet use](https://colorcet.holoviz.org/user_guide/index.html) — User guide for the Colorcet Python library. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorcet-use
- [bokeh palettes](https://docs.bokeh.org/en/latest/docs/reference/palettes.html) — Reference for palettes included in the Bokeh visualization library. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/bokeh-palettes
- [Coloraide](https://facelessuser.github.io/coloraide/) — A feature-rich Python library for color manipulation and conversion. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/coloraide
- [HCL Wizard](http://hclwizard.org/hclcolorpicker/) — A tool for creating HCL-based color palettes. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/hcl-wizard
- [ColorBox](https://colorbox.io/) — Lyft's tool for designing accessible color systems with precise control. _(palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorbox
- [Chroma.js Color Palette Helper](https://gka.github.io/palettes/) — An interactive helper for creating multi-hue color scales with Chroma.js. _(reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/chroma-js-color-palette-helper

## Pickers

- [Paletton](https://paletton.com/) — Color scheme designer based on color wheel relationships with live preview. _(color-theory, palettes, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/paletton
- [Color picker comparison](https://bottosson.github.io/misc/colorpicker/#fff6ea) — Björn Ottosson's detailed comparison of how different color pickers handle hue and lightness. _(color-spaces, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-picker-comparison
- [Lch and Lab colour picker](https://davidjohnstone.net/lch-lab-colour-gradient-picker) — A gradient picker that operates in perceptually uniform LCH and Lab spaces. _(interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/lch-and-lab-colour-picker

## References

- [Color.js](https://colorjs.io/) — A powerful color manipulation library supporting all modern color spaces including OKLCH, OKLab, and P3. _(Lea Verou & Chris Lilley · color-spaces, javascript, interactive)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorjs
- [Culori](https://culorijs.org/) — A JavaScript color library with support for a wide range of color spaces and useful color manipulation functions. _(Dan Burzo · color-spaces, javascript, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/culori
- [HSLuv](https://www.hsluv.org/) — A human-friendly alternative to HSL with perceptually uniform lightness across all hues. _(color-spaces, interactive, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/hsluv
- [D3 Color](https://d3js.org/d3-color) — D3's color manipulation module with support for various color spaces and interpolation. _(Mike Bostock · color-spaces, javascript, data-viz, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/d3-color
- [Color combo dictionary](https://sanzo-wada.dmbk.io/) — A digital archive of Sanzo Wada's 1930s 'Dictionary of Color Combinations'. _(reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-combo-dictionary
- [awesome colour](https://github.com/colour-science/awesome-colour) — A curated list of color science resources, libraries, and tools. _(reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/awesome-colour

## Writing

- [OKLCH in CSS: Why We Moved from RGB and HSL](https://evilmartians.com/chronicles/oklch-in-css-why-quit-rgb-hsl) — Evil Martians explain why OKLCH is the best color space for CSS and how to use it in your projects. _(Andrey Sitnik · color-spaces, css, tutorial)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/oklch-in-css
- [Understanding WCAG Color Contrast](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html) — Comprehensive guide to WCAG contrast requirements and how to test for accessibility compliance. _(accessibility, reference, web)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/a11y-color-contrast
- [A Perceptual Color Space for Image Processing](https://bottosson.github.io/posts/oklab/) — Björn Ottosson's article introducing OKLab, the perceptually uniform color space that inspired OKLCH. _(Björn Ottosson · color-spaces, perception, research)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/oklab-color-space
- [Interaction of Color](https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/08/16/interaction-of-color-app-josef-albers/) — Josef Albers' classic work on color theory and perception, now available as an interactive app. _(Josef Albers · color-theory, perception, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/thinking-with-type-color
- [Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter](https://jamesgurney.com/products/color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-signed-by-james-gurney) — James Gurney's essential guide to understanding how color and light work in the real world. _(James Gurney · color-theory, perception, reference)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-and-light
- [How to Pick More Beautiful Colors for Your Data Visualizations](https://blog.datawrapper.de/beautifulcolors/) — Lisa Charlotte Muth's comprehensive guide to choosing colors for data viz using CIELAB. _(Lisa Charlotte Muth · data-viz, color-spaces, tutorial)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/spectrum-article
- [Subtleties of Color](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/elegantfigures/2013/08/05/subtleties-of-color-part-1-of-6/) — A six-part series by Robert Simmon on using color effectively in data visualization, from NASA Earth Observatory. — https://colorcurio.us/library/subtleties-of-color
- [Datawrapper posts](https://blog.datawrapper.de/category/color-in-data-vis/) — Lisa Charlotte Muth's excellent collection of articles on color usage in data visualization. — https://colorcurio.us/library/datawrapper-posts
- [How to generate color palettes for design systems](https://matthewstrom.com/writing/generating-color-palettes/) — Matthew Strom's deep dive into algorithmic approaches for creating cohesive design system palettes. — https://colorcurio.us/library/how-to-generate-color-palettes-for-design-systems
- [Paul Tol’s notes](https://personal.sron.nl/~pault/) — Technical notes and color schemes optimized for color-blindness and distinctiveness. — https://colorcurio.us/library/paul-tol-s-notes
- [Bartosz: Color Spaces](https://ciechanow.ski/color-spaces/) — Bartosz Ciechanowski's incredible interactive exploration of how color spaces work. — https://colorcurio.us/library/bartosz-color-spaces
- [Coloring Maps](https://roadtolarissa.com/coloring-maps/) — A practical guide to choosing colors for choropleth and other map types. — https://colorcurio.us/library/coloring-maps
- [How to pick the least wrong colors](https://matthewstrom.com/writing/how-to-pick-the-least-wrong-colors) — A pragmatic algorithm for selecting colors for data visualization. — https://colorcurio.us/library/how-to-pick-the-least-wrong-colors
- [Color: from hexcodes to eyeballs](https://jamie-wong.com/post/color/) — Jamie Wong's explanation of the physical and digital journey of color from code to perception. — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-from-hexcodes-to-eyeballs
- [Crafting data colors and staying on brand](https://observablehq.com/blog/crafting-data-colors) — A guide on balancing brand identity with data visualization best practices. _(palettes)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/crafting-data-colors-and-staying-on-brand
- [High Definition CSS Color Guide](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/css-ui/high-definition-css-color-guide) — The Chrome team's guide to using new CSS color features and spaces. _(color-spaces)_ — https://colorcurio.us/library/high-definition-css-color-guide
- [cloudflare color tool](https://blog.cloudflare.com/thinking-about-color) — Insights from Cloudflare's design team on their approach to color systems. — https://colorcurio.us/library/cloudflare-color-tool
- [Color & Contrast](https://colorandcontrast.com/#/) — An educational resource and tool for understanding and testing color contrast. — https://colorcurio.us/library/color-contrast
- [Lisa Muth Color book updates](https://datawrapper.notion.site/Color-Book-Updates-54905c2bd0bb4c6bae15d99e31a9d5c4) — Updates and notes from Lisa Charlotte Muth's work on her book about color. — https://colorcurio.us/library/lisa-muth-color-book-updates
- [NASA AMES Color Guidelines](https://colorusage.arc.nasa.gov/guidelines.php) — Research-backed guidelines for color usage in display design from NASA Ames. — https://colorcurio.us/library/nasa-ames-color-guidelines
- [colorcet theory](https://colorcet.com/) — Background theory on perceptually uniform colormaps behind the Colorcet library. — https://colorcurio.us/library/colorcet-theory