Website colors

[trainguy77]

I have never been very good at getting a color scheme. I am creating a site that is "youth" directed. I have looked around and all these color matching things don't always turn out with good colors. I want something easy to read, But still cool. I will have a middle column layout. Any sites that get GOOD colors? Any suggestions?

[Lau]

I did know a really nice page that generated six different colours that complemented each other, but I can't find it now.

Hoever, on googling for it, I came across these which you may find useful:

http://www.netcocktail.com/
http://www.returnofdesign.com/colors/
http://www.raquedan.com/random100.php

And if there's a site that you like the colours of, this will tell you what they are:

http://www.redalt.com/Tools/ilyc.php

[trainguy77]

Another question. How do you make something have that 3d effect, making the middle div stick out. How would I do it in GIMP? Does that make sense. I can't find a site that has it right now. Wait. Kind of like the right hand side of the reply window.

[Doctor Q]

Even though I'm one of the last people who should be replying to this thread (here's why), I can answer the 3D question. The simple way to make a rectangle stand out is to add a few pixels to the right and bottom edges, outside the normal border, with a color that represents a shadow.

You could use any color darker than the border color, or use the same color as the border with the saturation value changed, or use a shade of gray.

Optionally, you can a border of the same small width to the top and left, with a light shade, but that's not as important as the bottom right.

It fools us into thinking it is 3D because we are used to objects in 3D casting shadows below objects. Whether the shadow falls to the right or left is less important.

In any image editor, the process is to increase the size of the image by a few pixels to fit the new borders and then fill the areas on those sides with the colors you have chosen. If you are using only 2 new borders (not 4), you can use the paint can tool to fill the new area with the color you chose. If you have 4 border areas, you can select each border area as a rectangle and fill the selection area with the color you chose.

[stevep]

I did know a really nice page that generated six different colours that complemented each other, but I can't find it now.

Is it this one (http://stylephreak.frogrun.com/cm.php) ?

[stevep]

How do you make something have that 3d effect, making the middle div stick out.
Sorry - 2 posts in a row - the 2nd Q popped up while I was replying to the first. I did this in Photoshop so I think Gimp would do it as well. Just fill a shape with a gradient, then fill a similar but slightly smaller shape with the same gradient but in opposite directions. I've used a linear gradient, but you could try conical or diamond if you have that option in Gimp.

[Heb1228]

I have never been very good at getting a color scheme. I am creating a site that is "youth" directed. I have looked around and all these color matching things don't always turn out with good colors. I want something easy to read, But still cool. I will have a middle column layout. Any sites that get GOOD colors? Any suggestions?
One idea that I've heard before is to take a photo/graphic that you'll be using in a prominent place on the website into photoshop and pixelate the image... so its kind of blurry looking but has really big squares, know what I mean? And then use the colors in some of those squares as your color theme, pick out 3 or 4 of them.

EDIT:
Example - Original Picture (Taken by user Glenn Wolsey, posted originally in this thread: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=181657)

Then you just take a few of the colors from some of the blocks and use those.

[trainguy77]

I have found this program very helpfull:http://www.colorschemer.com/osx_info.php
I will have to try getting the 3d effect later. I don't have time now

[Lau]

Is it this one (http://stylephreak.frogrun.com/cm.php) ?

Sadly, no it isn't, although that does do a similar job. The one I'm thinking of had a really nice design to it, although I'm sure the code is fairly similar to that site. I'm just a stickler for a nice looking interface!

[20rogersc]

I think you're talking about this (http://colorblender.com/) one.

::20ROGERSC::

[Lau]

That's the one! In my head it was black, but I think I have it mixed up with another site that lets you search for sites by colour.

Thanks, 20rogersc. :)

[macOSX-tastic]

i kind of like mixes of blues or mixes of silvers.....pastel colours....it makes me think of a fresh, clean environment. say....much like OS X no doubt!!!

S

[Rower_CPU]

I've used the Behr paint site (http://www.behr.com/behrx/workbook/) a few times - though it's not really targeted for the web it still gives you some decent ideas on complementary colors.

[andy89]

I have trouble with colors too. Things never look _right_:(

[20rogersc]

That's the one! In my head it was black, but I think I have it mixed up with another site that lets you search for sites by colour.

Thanks, 20rogersc. :)As soon as I read you post, I knew I had seen it somewhere before as well. And after a bit of a search, I found it in this (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=186316) thread.

::20ROGERSC::