Using the ISM Color Tool - Custom Color

[bfrd]

A while back I introduced a new feature to the ISM Color Tool that allows the user to select any color and find a near match. Here is a brief tutorial on how I intended the tool to be used.

To find our color value we need to add an extension to our internet browser. I am using Google Chrome but almost any browser will have similar abilities. I am using the "Eye Dropper" extension.



Once it is installed you will have a small "dropper" button on your toolbar.

Now, let's find a source image. I find that Google Images is the best place to start.



This search provides me with a bunch of options so I just pick the one I like the best.



Once I have my image I click on the "dropper" button and a new window pops up. In that window I will click the button that says "Pick color from web page."



When I do that I get a tiny little box of color next to the cursor. This box represents whatever color the cursor is currently pointing at.



Please note that images are not a single uniform color. You will need to decide where best to "pick" your color. You don't want the darkest shadow or brightest highlight. Shoot for somewhere in between and click. Once that is done click the "dropper" icon again. You will see the details of the color you just picked.



You will find a lot of information regarding the color you selected. You want to select and copy the six numbers or letters after the hash mark.

Once you have that copied it is now time to open up the color tool.





Now select "Custom Color" for Step 1.



For this example, I am going to use Mission Models paint so I select that option for Step 2. Don't forget to click "Add." You can choose multiple ranges if you want more options.



Now "paste" or type the hexadecimal characters into the selection box. Make sure your value starts with a hashmark. Then click "Choose."



You will see the color you selected on the left and four options on the right. Clicking on one of the color chips on the right will show you the details.

Technical Information

The hexadecimal value that you are using is a composite value of Red, Green, and Blue color values (RGB). This value contains three bytes of information. Each byte ranges from 00 to FF or 0 to 255. Black is technically not a color, but the absence of color and is represented by "000000." In contrast, white is "FFFFFF." This may seem a little strange, but it is actually a fun little experiment. If you take a colored ball like this and spin it up in the air the ball will appear (however briefly) white. All colors in the RGB color space are just varying amounts of Red, Green, and Blue. There are 16,777,216 different color combinations.

Disclaimer

This tool is just for roughing out the color. It will not be a perfect match. Depending on how your monitor is calibrated you might "see" a color that doesn't represent the actual digital color. There are plenty of monitor calibration tools, but that is out of scope. I built this tool to help a modeler get close.

[Casper]

what an excellent colour Tool to have available, didn't know google had a colour picker.
mark

[Twokidsnosleep]

seriously need to look this over
Nice job Matthew that is a phenomenal tool

[digger303]

Wow you have put in a huge effort Matthew that's a lot of work to get this working result.
I'v a thumping headache and neck pain atm so finding it difficult to follow the last bit, but I shall come back to it and study it properly.