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THE CONVENTIONAL RULES FOR COLOR AND RGB VALUES


The conventional rules for using color discuss harmonizing and contrasting colors. Color, especially on the web is not something completely under a creator's control. On the web, you must know that individual computors have different color settings, the percieved color is affected by ambient light and even the blood sugar level of the one looking.
However the same general rules apply to the web as to art work. If you want a set of colors that look nice and comfortable together, then use similiar strengths in at least one of the components and vary the others only enough to give you the needed contrast:
What a brilliant use of color!
If only Picasso had had all the computer tools we take for granted!
Imagine, how lovely all those women he drew would be.
If you want colors that look striking, then take the component RGB values and shuffle them:
Do not believe everything which you see in print!
Only what is approved by the editors of Reader's Digest®
Of course there is a limit to what pastels can do.

If you just want contrast, then intensify or weaken the color values of individual members of the RGB triplet:
Do as I say if you wish, but be happy!
I mean, you'll do what you choose whatever I say.
In order to be happy, you must make your own decisions.

That just about exhausts my limited wisdom on color.
If you are curious about the relationships of the RGB values to colors, I have prepared charts of many colors. The large one,titled Chart of Many Colors is a large file, 140K. It has I do not know how many colors, about a nine hundred and twenty nine, I think, all the named colors recognized by Netscape at this moment as well as their complements and colors derived by counting up evenly in the base sixteen system by eighties. There is also a page of colorcharts organized in different ways. If you go to theBowser Safe color chart, or the Javascript chart (this one takes about as long to load as the large color chart), you will see color charts organized more like what you would see with chips from a paint store. It is probably prettier than the charts I typed but less informative for me. Just for good measure, if you wish to try your hand out with colers, I have a Javascript powered color laboratory. It is not too sophisticated, but fascinating.
Oh, the examples I have used are fictitious, I am not having a party on Tuesday or a candlelit dinner on Wednesday, so don't come over. I also don't know anyone with a purple Toyota with a powder blue interior and chartreuse radio knobs, steering wheel and door handles.
I don't know if I'm disappointed or not. Such a person should at the very least provide an interesting topic of conversation.