Color Wheel Pro

An interactive tool that helps you select a color scheme quickly and easily based on color theory. It allows you to change saturation levels and brightness on colors and see immediately what the changes look like in a complex example screen.

An important feature of this software is the help. Included in the help documentation is a brief run-down on color theory, the color themes supported by the software (monochrome, analogous, complementary, split complementary, triad and tetrads) with pros, cons and tips on effectively using each. If you are developing color schemes and you are not from a graphic design background, reading this could save you much grief.

Using Color Wheel Pro

This program makes it very easy to select colors. Just above the color wheel, you can select the type of color scheme you wish to use (after a brief consultation with the help to determine which sounds best for you!). Then just rotate the arm of the color wheel around to find the color you like best for your purpose. For some color schemes, you can then select a range of hues to use by moving the little inner white dots around.

Once you have set your basic colors, then you can use this tool to set the brightness level for the colors and the saturation levels. You can drag the little arrows to create both a maximum and a minimum saturation level.

The preset area is where you can store color schemes that you like for later use.

As you make changes to either the color wheel or the saturation/brightness of your scheme, the image on the right hand side instantly reflects those changes. There are 6 images to use for examples or just have a plain palette that shows you a vast range of colors based on your selected scheme and preferred primary color. Once you find colors you like, click on the color to a small tool that shows both the Hex code and RGB values for the color.

Conclusion

The trial version of the software is good for 30 days and allows you to play with most, but not all of the features. So go to Color Wheel Pro site and give the software a try. It's easy to use, and should make it easy to select a good color scheme with only minimal effort on your part. The only small improvement I would like to see would be a way to set up web site link colors (new, visited, active) as part of the overall color scheme.