Pickard : Next Generation Color Picker!

PICKARD

Next Generation Color Picker!

[ Features ] [ Screenshots ] [ Download ] [ Project's page ]

Features

Pickard is an open source color selection tool, licensed under the GNU General Public License, that has many features of the color pickers you can find in high-level image processing applications (like Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or GIMP), its features includes:

Spectrum color selection
Eyedrop color selection
Multiple color spaces support (RGB, HSL, CMY, YUV)
Multiple color string formats (HTML, Delphi, Visual Basic, C++, SSA, ASS)
Screen magnifier with variable zoom level (from 1:1 to 1:20)
"Stay on top" functionality

Screenshots

Download

Pickard is avaible for Microsoft Windows platform.

In order to download the latest binaries please reach the project's page clicking the image on the right; then select the current distribution package and download it from one of the avabile mirrors.

Spectrum mode

This is the classical picking mode where you can pick colors from a bidimensional representation of a color spectrum, by dragging the circular spot over the color you like the most, here you can see some examples of the avaible spectrums:

HSL Saturation spectrum

RGB Red Spectrum

Hue
Saturation
Luminosity
Red
Green
Blue

The bidimensional spectrum images are representative of a particular color space, and of a particular leading color component value of that color space.

Pickard creates these spectrums in realtime, using the selected lead component value and ranging the other two spectral components from their minimum value to the maximum.
Resulting spectrums are very accurate and better looking compared to statically imported spectrum images (like windows' default color selection tool, for instance).

You can switch among the avaible leading color components. The selected spectral component will be displayed in a scrollbar (like those one you can see on the left) where you can select the desidered value used for spectrum creation.

<- Avaible Leading Spectral Components

This picking mode allows you to select a color from any visible portion of your screen, this mode is really useful when you want to reproduce a color you have in your favourite image.

To simplify the color selection, there is also a screen magnifier that zoom-in the selected portion in order to have a closer look to the color.
The magnification value is variable, you can set it from 1x (no zoom) to 20x.

In order to select a color, first drag the lens over the zone you want to magnify, you'll see the magnified image in the frame on the left. When you reached the desidered zone, release your left mouse button and select the color from the magnified frame.