ColorLab Pro

ColorLab Pro – Complete User Guide 📖

Overview

ColorLab Pro is a professional color tool that helps designers, developers, and creatives work with colors efficiently. All processing happens locally in your browser – no data is transmitted or stored on servers.

Basic Features

1. Color Wheel Selection

• Click anywhere on the color wheel to select a color

• Drag on the wheel to smoothly select multiple colors

• Numbered buttons (1-5) at the top let you switch between 5 color slots

• Color preview boxes below show all selected colors

  • Single click: Select that color as active

  • Double click: Copy hex value to clipboard

2. Active Color Controls

• Color Values Display: Shows HEX, RGB, and HSL values for the active color

• Clear All Button: Resets all colors to default palette

• Undo/Redo: Use buttons or Ctrl+Z/Ctrl+Y to navigate color history

Advanced Features

3. Color Harmony Rules

Generate beautiful color combinations using 8 different harmony rules:

1. Complementary: Colors opposite each other on the wheel

2. Analogous: Colors next to each other (30° apart)

3. Triadic: Three colors equally spaced (120° apart)

4. Split Complementary: Base color plus two adjacent to its complement

5. Tetradic: Four colors arranged in two complementary pairs

6. Monochromatic: Variations of single hue (different saturation/lightness)

7. Shades: Different lightness levels of same hue

8. Compound: Mix of analogous and complementary colors

How to use: Click any harmony rule to generate palette → Click any color in the palette to apply it to an empty slot

4. Image Color Extractor

Extract dominant colors from any image:

1. Upload Image: Drag & drop or click upload area

2. Extract Colors: Click “Extract Colors” button

3. Apply Colors: Click any extracted color to apply to active slot

Tip: Works best with images that have clear color patterns

5. Contrast Checker

Check color contrast for accessibility (WCAG compliance):

1. Foreground/Background: Click each color box to pick colors

2. Check Contrast: Automatically calculates ratio

3. Swap Colors: Switch foreground/background with one click

4. Ratings:

   • AAA (≥7:1): Excellent contrast

   • AA (≥4.5:1): Good contrast

   • AA Large (≥3:1): Acceptable for large text

   • Poor (<3:1): Doesn’t meet accessibility standards

6. Gradient Generator

Create beautiful CSS gradients:

1. Gradient Type: Choose Linear, Radial, or Conic

2. Colors: Uses your current 5-color palette

3. Edit Colors: Click any gradient color to change it

4. Generate CSS: Get ready-to-use CSS code

5. Preview: Real-time gradient display

7. Export Options

Export your palette in multiple formats:

Code Formats:

• CSS: CSS custom properties (variables)

• SCSS: SCSS variables for Sass/SCSS projects

• Tailwind: Configuration for Tailwind CSS

• JSON: Structured data for developers

Image Formats:

• PNG: High-quality image with color values

• SVG: Scalable vector graphic with embedded colors

How to export: Select format → Copy code or download image

8. Save & Manage Palettes

• Save Current: Save your current 5-color combination

• Load Palette: Click any saved palette to load all colors

• Load Individual Color: Click any color in saved palette to apply to active slot

• Delete Palette: Remove unwanted palettes

• Export All: Download all saved palettes as JSON file

Keyboard Shortcuts

Pro Tips & Best Practices

For Designers:

1. Start with one base color and use harmony rules to find complementary colors

2. Use contrast checker before finalizing text/background combinations

3. Save successful palettes for future projects

4. Extract colors from inspirational images

For Developers:

1. Export CSS variables for consistent theming

2. Use JSON export for programmatic access

3. Check contrast ratios meet WCAG 2.1 standards

4. Tailwind config export speeds up setup

For Beginners:

1. Experiment with different harmony rules

2. Use the default palette as starting point

3. Don’t be afraid to clear and start over

4. Save palettes you like – they’re stored locally

Accessibility Features

• All interactive elements support keyboard navigation

• Screen reader compatible with ARIA labels

• High contrast mode ready

• WCAG contrast ratio calculations

• Clear visual feedback for all actions

Mobile Usage

• Fully responsive design

• Touch-optimized color wheel

• Mobile-friendly controls

• Same features as desktop

Privacy & Security

• 💯 No data collection: Everything stays in your browser

• 💯 No tracking: No analytics, no cookies

• 💯 No uploads: Images processed locally

• 💯 Local storage: Palettes saved only on your device

Troubleshooting

Color wheel not responding?

• Refresh the page

• Ensure you’re clicking/dragging on the colored area

• Check browser zoom level (should be 100%)

Colors not saving?

• Check if local storage is enabled in your browser

• Try saving with a different name

• Export palette as backup

Image extraction not working?

• Try a different image format (JPG, PNG, WEBP)

• Ensure image has clear colors

• Check file size (very large images may take time)

Export not working?

• Try a different browser

• Check download permissions

• Copy code manually if download fails

Browser Support

• ✅ Chrome (recommended)

• ✅ Firefox

• ✅ Safari

• ✅ Edge

• ✅ Opera

Note: Works best on modern browsers with Canvas support

Quick Start Guide

1. Choose colors from the wheel

2. Experiment with harmony rules

3. Check contrast for accessibility

4. Save successful combinations

5. Export in your preferred format

Need Help?
All features include tooltips – hover over any button or element for brief instructions.

Remember: Your creativity is the limit! ColorLab Pro is just a tool to help you express it better. 🎨✨

Last Updated: December 2025
Version: 2.0
Tool developed with ❤️ for the creative community