See below Color Palette Generator for a brief User Guide

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Color Palette Generator

Color Palette Generator

wavelength
mutedness
Color Palette Generator - Interactive Guide

Color Palette Generator Documentation

Technical Reference and User Manual

Introduction

The Color Palette Generator is a comprehensive tool for creating, manipulating, and exporting color schemes for technical and design applications. The system provides both algorithmic generation and manual control over color properties.

Quick Start: Select parameters and click "Generate New Palette" to initialize a color scheme. Subsequent manipulations can be applied through various control interfaces.

System Capabilities

Generation Methods

  • Pseudorandom color generation
  • 11 predefined color schemes
  • Variable saturation levels
  • Seed-based reproducibility

Manipulation Functions

  • Hue transformation
  • Saturation adjustment
  • Individual color modification
  • Two-dimensional color space navigation

Color Palette Generation

Generate color palettes using algorithmic or predefined methods with configurable parameters.

Generation Procedure:

  1. Specify Palette Size: Select 2-10 colors via the numerical dropdown selector.
  2. Select Generation Method:
    • Random - Algorithmic generation using HSV color space
    • Predefined - Selection from established color schemes
  3. Configure Saturation Level: Options range from Very Muted to Very Vibrant.
  4. Execute Generation: Activate the "Generate New Palette" function.
Note: Seed values enable deterministic palette generation. Input an integer seed value to reproduce identical palettes across sessions.

Color Scheme Specifications

Data Visualization Schemes

Plotly, D3, Tableau: Optimized for statistical graphics and data representation.

ColorBrewer: Cartographically-designed schemes with perceptual uniformity.

Scientific Color Maps

Viridis, Plasma, Cividis: Perceptually uniform sequential schemes with monotonic luminance.

Magma, Inferno, Turbo: High-dynamic-range sequential color maps.

Color Manipulation Interface

Stochastic Variation

Apply pseudo-random perturbations to color values:

  • Weak Variation: ±5% RGB channel modification
  • Strong Variation: ±20% RGB channel modification
  • Selective Application: Target specific colors via selection interface

Hue Transformation

Wavelength slider range: -150 to +150 units. Modifies hue component in HSV color space while preserving saturation and value parameters.

Technical Note: Positive values shift toward longer wavelengths (red spectrum), negative values toward shorter wavelengths (blue spectrum).

Saturation Modulation

Mutedness control range: -15 to +15 units. Adjusts saturation component with inverse brightness compensation to maintain perceptual consistency.

Spectral Ordering

The wavelength sort function arranges colors by their dominant wavelength in the visible spectrum (380-680 nm equivalent). Toggle between ascending and descending order.

Application: Spectral ordering facilitates creation of perceptually smooth color gradients suitable for continuous data mapping.

Two-Dimensional Color Space Visualization

The scatter plot provides a bidimensional representation of palette colors in HSV space with direct manipulation capabilities.

Coordinate System

  • X-axis (Wavelength): Hue component (0-360° mapped to 0-100%)
  • Y-axis (Mutedness): Inverse saturation (1-S, where S is saturation 0-1)

Direct Manipulation Protocol

  1. Each point represents a discrete color in the current palette
  2. Click and drag to modify position in color space
  3. Horizontal translation modifies hue value
  4. Vertical translation adjusts saturation parameter
Caution: Modifications via scatter plot manipulation are immediately applied. Utilize the revert function to restore previous state.

Selection Interface

Individual colors can be selected via direct interaction with color swatches. Selected colors display a visual indicator and become targets for selective operations including variation and parameter adjustment functions.

Data Export Functions

Individual Color Export

Each color swatch includes a dedicated copy function. Activation copies the hexadecimal color code to system clipboard.

Batch Export

The "Copy All Hex Codes" function exports all palette colors as a comma-separated value string suitable for programmatic use.

Output format: #4e79a7, #f28e2c, #e15759, #76b7b2, #59a14f

State Management

Baseline Establishment

The "Keep Colors" function establishes the current palette as the new reference state, resetting all transformation parameters and clearing modification history.

State Reversion

The "Revert" function restores the previous palette state from the modification history stack.

Reproducibility: Document seed values alongside exported color codes to enable exact palette regeneration in subsequent sessions.

Best Practices and Recommendations

Design Considerations

  • Utilize established color schemes as initial templates for brand-specific customization
  • Apply muted saturation levels for professional applications
  • Employ high saturation for emphasis and attention-critical elements
  • Implement spectral ordering for continuous data representation
  • Limit palette size to 3-5 colors for optimal visual hierarchy

Workflow Optimization

  • Maintain seed documentation for cross-session consistency
  • Utilize selection mechanism for targeted modifications
  • Employ scatter plot for precise color space navigation
  • Evaluate palettes under both light and dark interface themes

Color Theory Fundamentals

Harmonic Relationships

  • Monochromatic: Single hue with saturation/value variations
  • Analogous: Adjacent hues (±30° on color wheel)
  • Complementary: Opposing hues (180° separation)

Accessibility Standards

  • Implement perceptually uniform color maps for data visualization
  • Maintain WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios (4.5:1 minimum)
  • Validate color discrimination under various vision conditions

Interface Navigation

The interface supports standard keyboard navigation patterns:

  • Tab key for sequential control navigation
  • Enter key for button activation
  • Standard clipboard operations for copy functions

Color Palette Generator Documentation v1.0

Technical reference for color generation and manipulation system