Re: color matching

by Noone Special <pfarabee(at)indy.net>

 Date:  Mon, 14 Dec 1998 09:28:30 -0500 (EST)
 To:  hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org
 In-Reply-To:  kapaa
  todo: View Thread, Original
> > hey, i've got photoshop5 and illustrator7 and i was wondering ...
> > when i'm selecting colors, how can i find out what their hex value is?
> > eg ffffff = white, aaaaaa = grey, etc.
> > this would come in very handy.

If you are picking colors for background/text for a webpage, it is best to
use colors from the web pallette.  Those colors in RGB consist of
multiples of the number 51:

R	G	B
51	0	102
0	0	0
102	153	204

etc

In Hex, the possible values for each position are:
00, 33, 66, 99, cc, ff

So, the previous table of colors would be:

R	G	B
33	00	66	= #330066
00	00	00	= #000000
66	99	cc	= #6699cc

If you wish to convert a color outside of the web pallete, the formula for
finding the hex value for the corresponding decimal value is:

H1 = int(D/16)
H0 = D-(H1 * 16)

HN = H1H0

Example:
D = 234
H1 = int(234/16) = int(14.625) = 14
H0 = 234-(14*16) = 234 - 224 = 10

HN = 14(E)10(A) = EA

so, for a light grey color of RGB  234,234,234.. the hex equiv is "eaeaea"
(or "#eaeaea" for use in a web page)

NOTE: many scientific calculators, including the one that comes with
Windows95 has conversion built in.. simply type the number in while in
decimal mode, then switch to hexidecimal mode for the converted numbers:

Exact steps to convert 234:

1. Open "Start->Programs->Accessories->Calculator"
2. Check menu to make sure "View->Scientific" is selected
3. Check to see bullet on "Dec" in left of window.
4. Click on "2","3","4"
5. Click on bullet next to "Hex" in left of window.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for other two decimal values (no need to clear value).

Or, if you don't care to know how it actually works and just want a
program to do all the work for you, they are out there.. just look for
"rgb conversion" or an equiv on a search engine..

Pat

HWG: hwg-graphics mailing list archives, maintained by Webmasters @ IWA

This page is part of a preserved archive of archives.hwg.org. The site is no longer active and its content is not maintained. For enquiries about this archive, write to archive(at)iwanet.org.