A color picker allows you to identify the color codes of any color present on your screen. This information can be helpful when editing an image, programming, writing HTML language or setting up a web page, etc.
There are many free color pickers to choose from. This review picks out a select few, based on the following features:
Color code support:
- RGB (Red, Green and Blue)
- Hex (hexadecimal in HTML mode, etc)
- HSL, HSV, HSI or HSB (Hue, Saturation, Lightness/Value/Intensity/Brightness)
- CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black)
Takes up little screen space (in its "on-top" setting)
Provides useful features including a grabber (or eyedropper) to easily pick and copy a color, a magnifier to see precisely which color you want to pick, a color mixer to adjust colors, and a color palette to re-use picked colors.
Discussion
Color Cop impressed me with its combination of simplicity and effectiveness. It comes with a compact and powerful user interface which takes up very little screen space. A color grabber is provided to drag and drop at any pixel of the screen, and RGB and Hex codes are presented instantly.
The front interface provides a built-in magnifier and an active color palette. If you want to adjust a picked color, you can click the ‘custom’ button and call up Windows’ default color mixer. When you right click on the interface a menu pops up with extra features. In this way, the interface is cleverly made small but powerful.
The extra features include web-safe color, display color reverses, random colors, conversion to gray-scale, additional hex codes, application options and settings, etc. The only drawback is that CMYK color space has yet to be incorporated.
Color Archiver is another good choice but it has a slightly bigger interface than that of Color Cop. It provides RGB, CMY, CMYK, HSL and HSV color spaces. A color grabber, active color palette and RGB sliders are included.
You can name the color you pick and save it in a collapsible color table alongside a default web color table.
Similar to Color Cop, Color Archiver supports a Windows' default color mixer and a magnifier (up to 16 times).
If you need a color picker with a converter built-in, then Color Selector is a good try. You can enter a color value in a chosen format and press the Convert button to get all values in other formats easily.
Color Selection has a click-and-drag color picker, 9x magnifier, color preview, configurable color sliders, a Darker slider and a default color mixer. It supports color values in RGB, HSL, HSB/HSV, CMY, Hexadecimal and Decimal.
The palette tool is shown on a separate window while the program's main interface takes up some desktop space as well.
CPick has a collapsible user interface and comes with a color grabber by Click and Drag. It allows you to pick a screen color behind a magnifier zooming from 10 to 100.
You can copy a color to the clipboard as Hex, Decimal, RGB or HSV value and modify the color with the RGB or HSV slide bars.
The program provides standard and websafe color lists. It also allows you to create your own color lists for your projects. In addition, it features saving the image captured by the magnifier as an icon or bitmap file.
Just Color Picker also features a small interface. It supports RGB, HTML Hex and HSB/HSV/HSL color codes. The 3x/9x/15x zoom helps you pinpoint a color specifically.
RGB and HSV sliders are included in a collapsible lower section. Picked colors are presented in a color palette with codes indicated, and can be saved in a normal text file. However, Just Color Picker uses a hot key to pick a color, rather than a grabber which is more handy.
Just Color Picker is a portable application and can be run directly from a USB stick. No installation required.
Similar to Color Archiver, ColorMania also supports CMYK in addition to RGB and Hex codes in various modes.
ColorMania has a color grabber, magnifier, mixer and sliders for RGB and HSV. It provides a color palette for picked colors and allows saving. Predefined HTML colors are ready for use.
Compared with other programs, it takes up slightly more screen space as none of its modules are collapsible.
Alternatively Pixeur can be used to support CMYK color space, in addition to RGB, HSB and Hex color values. This program is automatically set on top of other windows. It has a color grabber, magnifier, color mixer, color scheme and a slider.
Pixeur keeps a history of all the colors you have selected, and allows saving for future reference.
With a collapsible section for color scheme, it takes up about the same screen space as ColorMania.
A color picker that runs on Linux?
gcolor2 is a simple color selector to provide a quick and easy way to pick a color on the screen. It supports HSV, RGB and HTML codes with an opacity slider. A color grabber is supported. Users are allowed to name a picked color and save it in the list.
On the downside, no magnifier is supported.
Other Color Pickers
These are a number of other free color pickers which were brought up in comments here or noted from other sources. As they are not rated in this review, I am listing them here with brief descriptions and links to their sites for ease of reference.
Visual Color Picker supports RGB, HSL and CMYK color codes with complete sliders and 2D color mixers. Features include grabber, zoom and color preview with codes. It takes up a relatively large desktop area.
ColorPic supports RGB, HSV and CMYK codes with features including sliders, palettes and advanced mixers. It takes up a relatively large desktop area and uses hot keys to pick colors.
ColorPix supports RGB, HEX, HSB and CMYK codes and has a very small user interface, but it lacks quite a lot of features such as a color grabber, color mixer, slider, color palette, etc.
Pixie is a small and simple program. A portable version weighs in at only 11KB. Pixie shows you Hex, RGB, HTML, CMYK and HSV color values when you point to a pixel on the screen. It allows you to use hotkeys to copy HTML codes, call up Windows' default color mixer and show a floating magnifier. If you don't remember the hotkeys, the program will show them up when you move the mouse cursor over the interface.
ColSel (homepage not in English) supports HEX and RGB color values, but CMYK and HSV values are not supported. The program features color mixers, websafe color, etc., but its color grabber together with a magnifier is located at the secondary user interface and requires more steps to just pick a color from the screen.
Pickard lets you drag an eyedropper on the screen, then pick a color from a magnified area in the applicaton. Supports RGB, HSL, CMY and YUV color spaces. A relatively large user interface area and no color palette is available.
Color Puller is portable freeware, completes with various useful features such as a grabber, a color palette, and a magnifier up to 50 times. The program supports RGB, CMY, CMYK, HSV, HSL, HSI and Hex values. Its user interface is relatively larger but can be minimized when you choose a color code to display with the On-top option.
Pipette runs straight from the executable and provides Hex, RGB, CMY, CMYK, HSV and other values. Large user interface, no color sliders nor a magnifier are supported.
Have Your Say
You are invited to share and discuss your views in our freeware forum. To post in the forum you need to register first but that's quick and immediate. Alternatively, anyone can leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
There is no portable version of this product available.
Win 98 to Vista
Color Selector
8
Runs as a stand-alone program on a user's computer
Supports RGB, HSL, HSB/HSV, CMY, Hex and Decimal, includes color picker, 9x magnifier, color preview, mixer, configurable color sliders and a Darker slider with a converter built-in.
Palette tool shown in a separate window, user interface takes up some desktop space as well.
Runs as a stand-alone program on a user's computer
Supports CMYK in addition to RGB and Hex codes in various modes. Features include color grabber, magnifier, mixer and sliders, color palette, predefined HTML colors.
Take up slightly larger desktop area, no modules are collapsible.
There is no portable version of this product available.
Win 98-Vista
gcolor2
5
Runs as a stand-alone program on a user's computer
Open Source, a quick and easy way to pick a color, supports HSV, RGB and HTML codes with an opacity slider, color grabber, allows for naming and saving picked colors.
There is no portable version of this product available.
Linux
Editor
This article is maintained by volunteer editor Jojoyee.
Tags
color picker, screen color picker, onscreen color picker, color pick, color cop, color archiver, color puller, freeware, free color picker, colour picker, colour selector, colour grabber
by janz (not verified) on 6. December 2011 - 17:22(84518)
Great list!
I also found this http://www.colorfunc.com
It has a bunch of different color pickers and color wheels that you can use together at one time,
pretty cool stuff
Keep up the great work!
by Peter112 (not verified) on 5. November 2011 - 18:36(82781)
I've downloaded all from the review and a few from the comments. Out of all of them I rate SointandSee www.pointandsee.co.uk, it's different an abit erm.. querky but it's also very small and unabtrousive. They have added a variable maginifyier for the selection area and for me most useful is just to double click the picker to save a color, this makes it very fast. Even if you have another color picker have a look at PointandSee, it may grow on you?
by Gear (not verified) on 3. May 2011 - 7:45(71333)
I use Just Color Picker. It looks like it's smaller and simpler than many of the colorpickers, however it has lots of very useful functions and features. Also, Just Color Picker has a very pleasant interface and is very easy to learn how to use it.
P.S. The latest version of Just Color Picker is 2.5
by MicMan (not verified) on 25. February 2011 - 20:55(67089)
Someone showed me a little gem called pointandsee. I'ts a bit different in that the whole picker moves not just the mouse pointer. I've started using it and it does the job. www.pointandsee.co.uk
by Gaucho (not verified) on 18. January 2011 - 16:24(64789)
Another really, really good color picker is ColorinHTML.com It generates hex codes and HTML CSS for your color theme. You can compare colors by locking them into place. Pretty cool tool if you want a quick theme maker for your site. Just copy the CSS when you are done with your theme.
Hmmm, at first I didn't know how to pick a color from the screen with Pipette, no grabber.
Then I learned I needed to click and hold down the Pipette button and move to pick a color on the screen, but the color list showed all the colors being picked up along the path of moving until the button is released. Why a simple task to just pick a color made more difficult by the program?
Just Color Picker - what a great little program, brilliant! I have been looking for such a program for some time and tried most of them, quite simply Just Color Picker is the best.
Yep! This one turned out to be my favorite too. Many thanks to the author of Just Color Picker and to this site for helping to find it. By the way, it looks like Just Color Picker v 2.4 has just been published.
thanks for the advice about just color picker. it's a real gem! so is its author anny who responded promptly to my questions
btw there is a new version available here http://www.annystudio.com/software/colorpicker/
I agree. Just colorpicker is my favorite picker too. I actually like that it uses hotkeys insted of mouse cursor to grab a color, cos I don't need to worry about grabbing extra colors when I need to move a window, press a button or so
I have chosen Just Color Picker. It is a little program, but it has so many very useful features. For example, it lets you to change and adjust colors, not just pick them. It is extremely handy thing. Imagine: you like a color, pick it, but you need it a bit more red or a bit darker. Just Color Picker allows you to adjust the color and pick the result. I don't know how many people need such functionality, but for me it is very important and helpful.
Then, what is called 'cons' here (hot keys to grab colors) is actually 'pros' for me. I got sick f having unneeded colors in the picked set from accidental click. I like to be able to make clicks and having the Color Picker run while doing something else without picking colors. Moreover, Just Color Picker lets me to choose any hot key combination that I want and will remember easily. In addition, for those with bad memory, the hot keys are shown every time you run the program :)
Many thanks for the article! It helped me with my choice months ago.
I also noticed that there are a few clones of Just Color Picker in the Internet and that many other color picker developers copied some of Just Color Picker's functions and features.
Thanks so much for the info. That's my favorite program for its screen capture features. Occasionally I'm still using it even though only the older version is free. Having said that, I feel that its color picker is rather basic as compared to other programs.
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Comments
Great list!
I also found this http://www.colorfunc.com
It has a bunch of different color pickers and color wheels that you can use together at one time,
pretty cool stuff
Keep up the great work!
I've downloaded all from the review and a few from the comments. Out of all of them I rate SointandSee www.pointandsee.co.uk, it's different an abit erm.. querky but it's also very small and unabtrousive. They have added a variable maginifyier for the selection area and for me most useful is just to double click the picker to save a color, this makes it very fast. Even if you have another color picker have a look at PointandSee, it may grow on you?
check this: http://www.picpick.org/
I use Just Color Picker. It looks like it's smaller and simpler than many of the colorpickers, however it has lots of very useful functions and features. Also, Just Color Picker has a very pleasant interface and is very easy to learn how to use it.
P.S. The latest version of Just Color Picker is 2.5
Thanks for the info Gear and updated in the review.
Just Color Picker v2.6 is available. Awesome little app, as usual!
A disadvantage to me:
Color Archiver doesn't work in 64bit Win7, missing some 32bit library. Compatibility mode doesn't help.
Someone showed me a little gem called pointandsee. I'ts a bit different in that the whole picker moves not just the mouse pointer. I've started using it and it does the job. www.pointandsee.co.uk
Another really, really good color picker is ColorinHTML.com It generates hex codes and HTML CSS for your color theme. You can compare colors by locking them into place. Pretty cool tool if you want a quick theme maker for your site. Just copy the CSS when you are done with your theme.
Btw., PicPick - our Top Pick Screen Capture tool - also has a color picker built in. It's pretty basic but it's there.
thanks
I've started using PointandSee, a very small slightly different colour picker for RGB and Hex.
Worth a look www.pointandsee.co.uk
Jon
I think there is one easy-to-use color picker missing, it is called the Pipette:
http://www.sttmedia.com/pipette
Hmmm, at first I didn't know how to pick a color from the screen with Pipette, no grabber.
Then I learned I needed to click and hold down the Pipette button and move to pick a color on the screen, but the color list showed all the colors being picked up along the path of moving until the button is released. Why a simple task to just pick a color made more difficult by the program?
Pickard is also nice:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pickard/
Just Color Picker - what a great little program, brilliant! I have been looking for such a program for some time and tried most of them, quite simply Just Color Picker is the best.
Pixie (mentioned in the review)... I've used it for years. It's one of the smallest and most used programs in my toolbox.
James
Moderator's Comment: Link to commercial website removed.
If you use firefox a lot then there is a great addon for color picking which i use frequently in web development.
http://www.colorzilla.com/firefox/
Color Selector 3.0 - Been using it now for 5 years, since '04.
http://colorselector.sourceforge.net/
Thank you ever so much for pointing the Just Color Picker out! It is sooo much like what I need :o)
Yep! This one turned out to be my favorite too. Many thanks to the author of Just Color Picker and to this site for helping to find it. By the way, it looks like Just Color Picker v 2.4 has just been published.
Well guys...I really don't use this one but it's quite powerfull:
http://picpick.wiziple.net/
It at least should be mentioned in this section...
PicPick is now included and reviewed in our another category Best Free All-In-One Design Tools.
thanks for the advice about just color picker. it's a real gem! so is its author anny who responded promptly to my questions
btw there is a new version available here http://www.annystudio.com/software/colorpicker/
thank you
I agree. Just colorpicker is my favorite picker too. I actually like that it uses hotkeys insted of mouse cursor to grab a color, cos I don't need to worry about grabbing extra colors when I need to move a window, press a button or so
I have chosen Just Color Picker. It is a little program, but it has so many very useful features. For example, it lets you to change and adjust colors, not just pick them. It is extremely handy thing. Imagine: you like a color, pick it, but you need it a bit more red or a bit darker. Just Color Picker allows you to adjust the color and pick the result. I don't know how many people need such functionality, but for me it is very important and helpful.
Then, what is called 'cons' here (hot keys to grab colors) is actually 'pros' for me. I got sick f having unneeded colors in the picked set from accidental click. I like to be able to make clicks and having the Color Picker run while doing something else without picking colors. Moreover, Just Color Picker lets me to choose any hot key combination that I want and will remember easily. In addition, for those with bad memory, the hot keys are shown every time you run the program :)
Many thanks for the article! It helped me with my choice months ago.
I also noticed that there are a few clones of Just Color Picker in the Internet and that many other color picker developers copied some of Just Color Picker's functions and features.
Thanks a lot, Just Color Picker turned out to be exactly what I need
There is also the 'Faststone Capture' utility....it is an excellent screen capture utility, color picker, and screen magnifier...all in one!
Thanks so much for the info. That's my favorite program for its screen capture features. Occasionally I'm still using it even though only the older version is free. Having said that, I feel that its color picker is rather basic as compared to other programs.
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