Home Backend Development Python Tutorial Color Theory: Playing with Colors Programmatically

Color Theory: Playing with Colors Programmatically

Nov 26, 2024 am 07:24 AM

Color Theory: Playing with Colors Programmatically

When I first started building Colorify Rocks, my color palette website, I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole of programmatic color manipulation would go. What started as a simple "let me build a color picker" project turned into a fascinating journey through color theory, mathematical color spaces, and accessibility considerations. Today, I want to share what I learned while building this tool, along with some Python code that might help you in your own color adventures.

It's Just Colors, How Hard Can It Be?

Oh, past me. How naive you were! My journey started with a simple goal: build a website where people could generate and save color palettes. Easy, right? Just grab a hex code and... wait, what's HSL? And why do we need RGB? And what in the world is CMYK?

Want to see what I'm talking about? Check out our color analysis for #3B49DF

Here's the first piece of code I wrote to handle color conversions, which now makes me chuckle at its simplicity:

class Color:
    def __init__(self, hex_code):
        self.hex = hex_code.lstrip('#')
        # Past me: "This is probably all I need!"
    def to_rgb(self):
        # My first "aha!" moment with color spaces
        r = int(self.hex[0:2], 16)
        g = int(self.hex[2:4], 16)
        b = int(self.hex[4:6], 16)
        return f"rgb({r},{g},{b})"
Copy after login

Everything is Math

Then came the moment I realized that colors are basically just math in disguise. Converting between color spaces meant diving into algorithms I hadn't touched since high school. Here's what the code evolved into

def _rgb_to_hsl(self):
    # This was my "mind-blown" moment
    r, g, b = [x/255 for x in (self.rgb['r'], self.rgb['g'], self.rgb['b'])]
    cmax, cmin = max(r, g, b), min(r, g, b)
    delta = cmax - cmin
    # The math that made me question everything I knew about colors
    h = 0
    if delta != 0:
        if cmax == r:
            h = 60 * (((g - b) / delta) % 6)
        elif cmax == g:
            h = 60 * ((b - r) / delta + 2)
        else:
            h = 60 * ((r - g) / delta + 4)
    l = (cmax + cmin) / 2
    s = 0 if delta == 0 else delta / (1 - abs(2 * l - 1))
    return {
        'h': round(h),
        's': round(s * 100),
        'l': round(l * 100)
    }
Copy after login

Colors Have Relationships

One of the most exciting features I built for Colorify Rocks was the color harmony generator. It turns out colors have relationships with each other, just like musical notes! Here's how I implemented color harmonies:

def get_color_harmonies(self, color):
    """
    This is probably my favorite piece of code in the entire project.
    It's like playing with a color wheel, but in code!
    """
    h, s, l = color.hsl['h'], color.hsl['s'], color.hsl['l']
    return {
        'complementary': self._get_complementary(h, s, l),
        'analogous': self._get_analogous(h, s, l),
        'triadic': self._get_triadic(h, s, l),
        'split_complementary': self._get_split_complementary(h, s, l)
    }
def _get_analogous(self, h, s, l):
    # The magic numbers that make designers happy
    return [
        self._hsl_to_hex((h - 30) % 360, s, l),
        self._hsl_to_hex(h, s, l),
        self._hsl_to_hex((h + 30) % 360, s, l)
    ]
Copy after login

Accessibility

The biggest eye-opener came when a user with color blindness submitted feedback. I had completely overlooked accessibility! This led me to implement color blindness simulation:

def simulate_color_blindness(self, color, type='protanopia'):
    """
    This feature wasn't in my original plan, but it became one of
    the most important parts of Colorify Rocks
    """
    matrices = {
        'protanopia': [
            [0.567, 0.433, 0],
            [0.558, 0.442, 0],
            [0, 0.242, 0.758]
        ],
        # Added more types after learning about different forms of color blindness
        'deuteranopia': [
            [0.625, 0.375, 0],
            [0.7, 0.3, 0],
            [0, 0.3, 0.7]
        ]
    }
    # Matrix multiplication that makes sure everyone can use our color palettes
    return self._apply_color_matrix(color, matrices[type])
Copy after login

As Colorify Rocks grew, designers started asking for more features. The big one? Shades and tints of colors. This led to some fun experimentation:

def get_color_variations(self, color, steps=10):
    """
    This started as a simple feature request and turned into
    one of our most-used tools
    """
    return {
        'shades': self._generate_shades(color, steps),
        'tints': self._generate_tints(color, steps),
        'tones': self._generate_tones(color, steps)
    }
Copy after login

The above is the detailed content of Color Theory: Playing with Colors Programmatically. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

Statement of this Website
The content of this article is voluntarily contributed by netizens, and the copyright belongs to the original author. This site does not assume corresponding legal responsibility. If you find any content suspected of plagiarism or infringement, please contact admin@php.cn

Hot AI Tools

Undresser.AI Undress

Undresser.AI Undress

AI-powered app for creating realistic nude photos

AI Clothes Remover

AI Clothes Remover

Online AI tool for removing clothes from photos.

Undress AI Tool

Undress AI Tool

Undress images for free

Clothoff.io

Clothoff.io

AI clothes remover

Video Face Swap

Video Face Swap

Swap faces in any video effortlessly with our completely free AI face swap tool!

Hot Tools

Notepad++7.3.1

Notepad++7.3.1

Easy-to-use and free code editor

SublimeText3 Chinese version

SublimeText3 Chinese version

Chinese version, very easy to use

Zend Studio 13.0.1

Zend Studio 13.0.1

Powerful PHP integrated development environment

Dreamweaver CS6

Dreamweaver CS6

Visual web development tools

SublimeText3 Mac version

SublimeText3 Mac version

God-level code editing software (SublimeText3)

Hot Topics

Java Tutorial
1664
14
PHP Tutorial
1266
29
C# Tutorial
1239
24
Python vs. C  : Applications and Use Cases Compared Python vs. C : Applications and Use Cases Compared Apr 12, 2025 am 12:01 AM

Python is suitable for data science, web development and automation tasks, while C is suitable for system programming, game development and embedded systems. Python is known for its simplicity and powerful ecosystem, while C is known for its high performance and underlying control capabilities.

The 2-Hour Python Plan: A Realistic Approach The 2-Hour Python Plan: A Realistic Approach Apr 11, 2025 am 12:04 AM

You can learn basic programming concepts and skills of Python within 2 hours. 1. Learn variables and data types, 2. Master control flow (conditional statements and loops), 3. Understand the definition and use of functions, 4. Quickly get started with Python programming through simple examples and code snippets.

Python: Games, GUIs, and More Python: Games, GUIs, and More Apr 13, 2025 am 12:14 AM

Python excels in gaming and GUI development. 1) Game development uses Pygame, providing drawing, audio and other functions, which are suitable for creating 2D games. 2) GUI development can choose Tkinter or PyQt. Tkinter is simple and easy to use, PyQt has rich functions and is suitable for professional development.

Python vs. C  : Learning Curves and Ease of Use Python vs. C : Learning Curves and Ease of Use Apr 19, 2025 am 12:20 AM

Python is easier to learn and use, while C is more powerful but complex. 1. Python syntax is concise and suitable for beginners. Dynamic typing and automatic memory management make it easy to use, but may cause runtime errors. 2.C provides low-level control and advanced features, suitable for high-performance applications, but has a high learning threshold and requires manual memory and type safety management.

How Much Python Can You Learn in 2 Hours? How Much Python Can You Learn in 2 Hours? Apr 09, 2025 pm 04:33 PM

You can learn the basics of Python within two hours. 1. Learn variables and data types, 2. Master control structures such as if statements and loops, 3. Understand the definition and use of functions. These will help you start writing simple Python programs.

Python and Time: Making the Most of Your Study Time Python and Time: Making the Most of Your Study Time Apr 14, 2025 am 12:02 AM

To maximize the efficiency of learning Python in a limited time, you can use Python's datetime, time, and schedule modules. 1. The datetime module is used to record and plan learning time. 2. The time module helps to set study and rest time. 3. The schedule module automatically arranges weekly learning tasks.

Python: Exploring Its Primary Applications Python: Exploring Its Primary Applications Apr 10, 2025 am 09:41 AM

Python is widely used in the fields of web development, data science, machine learning, automation and scripting. 1) In web development, Django and Flask frameworks simplify the development process. 2) In the fields of data science and machine learning, NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn and TensorFlow libraries provide strong support. 3) In terms of automation and scripting, Python is suitable for tasks such as automated testing and system management.

Python: Automation, Scripting, and Task Management Python: Automation, Scripting, and Task Management Apr 16, 2025 am 12:14 AM

Python excels in automation, scripting, and task management. 1) Automation: File backup is realized through standard libraries such as os and shutil. 2) Script writing: Use the psutil library to monitor system resources. 3) Task management: Use the schedule library to schedule tasks. Python's ease of use and rich library support makes it the preferred tool in these areas.

See all articles