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Adobe Color

The proper colour wheel — analogous, triadic, split complementary — plus contrast checks for accessibility.

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How to get the most from it

Adobe Color sits in Design Playgrounds under Make, filed as coffee break.

  • Set aside five to fifteen minutes and give it your proper attention.
  • Use a laptop or desktop computer — we file it as desktop only.
  • It works with the sound off, so it is fine on a train or in a quiet office.
  • No account needed — you can start without signing up.
  • Go in expecting something useful, brainy and beautiful.

About this category: Palette builders, type playgrounds, background generators and gradient tools. Half of professional design is trying things quickly, and these are for trying things quickly.

Good for

  • Filling a coffee break properly
  • Getting something practical done
  • Giving your brain a workout
  • Looking at something lovely
  • A quiet break at your desk
  • Trying it with zero commitment

Adobe Color: quick answers

Is Adobe Color free?

Yes. Adobe Color is free to use and needs no account.

Do I need an account to use Adobe Color?

No. You can use Adobe Color without signing up for anything.

Does Adobe Color work on a phone?

Not well. We file Adobe Color as desktop only, so open it on a laptop or desktop computer.

Is Adobe Color safe for work?

Yes, we file it as safe for work. It also works muted.

How long does Adobe Color take?

We file it as "Coffee break": Five to fifteen minutes of proper attention.

More in Design Playgrounds

All 20 in Design Playgrounds
  • Full portfolio case studies in branding, illustration, photography and motion, with the sketches and process behind the finished work.

  • Turns a snippet of code into a tidy image with your choice of theme, font and window frame. The tool behind a lot of shared code screenshots.

  • A browser playground for HTML, CSS and JavaScript, plus an endless stream of other people's demos to open, read and remix.

  • Hand-picked four-colour palettes posted daily and sorted by mood, with none of a generator's randomness.

Same mood: useful

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