Create Your Own Color Palette Using Kuler

When developing a color palette for a project, there can be a lot of factors at play. We can approach color selections by asking what we want the design to evoke from its viewers or we can build a design around a movement or an era. However, sometimes we will just be inspired by something visually and want to mirror the emotions that an image or scene creates. There are many resources and several tools out there to help designers choose color palettes, but one in particular stands out to me: Kuler. 

Kuler is a web-based tool developed by Adobe that provides several tools to help you find the color palette that fits your needs. They have a community driven library that can be sorted by rank or various other methods, you can create a palette built around a base color and a selected rule, or you can select colors based on an image you either upload or link to through Flickr.

The last option is my favorite. It reminds me of the age-old scene where a couple brings a photo into a paint shop and begins holding up different swatches to it in order to find a color combination that matches and will eventually adorn a room in their home. This is the same thing, minus the trip to the paint store and adding the ability to instantly match the colors you are aiming for. Here's a screenshot of the tool:

As soon as you upload an image, Kuler will automatically select five different sets of colors for you based on the following categories: colorful, bright, muted, deep, and dark. If you don't find the exact combination you're looking for, you can select the closest combination, click the color you want to change, and drag around the selected target to a different part of the picture. It's that easy. In case you're having a hard time finding it, here is the link to the photo-based selection tool: Kuler - Create From an Image.

I've started collecting image based palettes that I like on Pinterest and find that not only is it inspiring, but it's a great way to present the end product. Post ones that you like or create in the comments below and I'll pin them. Happy kulering

Color palette I generated off an adorable French Bulldog pulled from Pinterest.