Color Names and Custom Colors

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Before you look at the color table below, I should explain what RGB codes are and how to interpret them.

In the world of computers, we presently have 16,777,216 different colors to work with, and all of them are defined in terms of their Red, Green and Blue values - RGB for short. Each of those three colors can have any one of 256 values, ranging from 0 to 255, and in combination with the 256 possible values of the other two, they make up all 16,777,216 colors (256³ or 256 X 256 X 256 = 16,777,216  And some of you probably thought nothing you ever learned in Math class would ever have any practical value? Well just wait - it gets worse! )

HTML relies most often on the hexadecimal representation of 0-255 to code all 16,777,216 colors. (See - I told you it would get worse. ) Now, I'm sure you all remember that hexadecimal notation uses the digits 0 through 9 as well as the letters A through F. So, the numbers 0 through 255 are represented in the following manner in the table below when converted from decimal (Base 10, which is what we use nearly every day of our lives) into hexadecimal (Base 16, which people like me, who program computers and/or do advanced work on the Web use nearly every day of our lives because so many aspects of programming revolve around multiples of 16 in one way or another.)

0 = #00	86 = #56	171 = #AB
1 = #01	87 = #57	172 = #AC
2 = #02	88 = #58	173 = #AD
3 = #03	89 = #59	174 = #AE
4 = #04	90 = #5A	175 = #AF
5 = #05	91 = #5B	176 = #B0
6 = #06	92 = #5C	177 = #B1
7 = #07	93 = #5D	178 = #B2
8 = #08	94 = #5E	179 = #B3
9 = #09	95 = #5F	180 = #B4
10 = #0A	96 = #60	181 = #B5
11 = #0B	97 = #61	182 = #B6
12 = #0C	98 = #62	183 = #B7
13 = #0D	99 = #63	184 = #B8
14 = #0E	100 = #64	185 = #B9
15 = #0F	101 = #65	186 = #BA
16 = #10	102 = #66	187 = #BB
17 = #11	103 = #67	188 = #BC
18 = #12	104 = #68	189 = #BD
19 = #13	105 = #69	190 = #BE
20 = #14	106 = #6A	191 = #BF
21 = #15	107 = #6B	192 = #C0
22 = #16	108 = #6C	193 = #C1
23 = #17	109 = #6D	194 = #C2
24 = #18	110 = #6E	195 = #C3
25 = #19	111 = #6F	196 = #C4
26 = #1A	112 = #70	197 = #C5
27 = #1B	113 = #71	198 = #C6
28 = #1C	114 = #72	199 = #C7
29 = #1D	115 = #73	200 = #C8
30 = #1E	116 = #74	201 = #C9
31 = #1F	117 = #75	202 = #CA
32 = #20	118 = #76	203 = #CB
33 = #21	119 = #77	204 = #CC
34 = #22	120 = #78	205 = #CD
35 = #23	121 = #79	206 = #CE
36 = #24	122 = #7A	207 = #CF
37 = #25	123 = #7B	208 = #D0
38 = #26	124 = #7C	209 = #D1
39 = #27	125 = #7D	210 = #D2
40 = #28	126 = #7E	211 = #D3
41 = #29	127 = #7F	212 = #D4
42 = #2A	128 = #80	213 = #D5
43 = #2B	129 = #81	214 = #D6
44 = #2C	130 = #82	215 = #D7
45 = #2D	131 = #83	216 = #D8
46 = #2E	132 = #84	217 = #D9
47 = #2F	133 = #85	218 = #DA
48 = #30	134 = #86	219 = #DB
49 = #31	135 = #87	220 = #DC
50 = #32	136 = #88	221 = #DD
51 = #33	137 = #89	222 = #DE
52 = #34	138 = #8A	223 = #DF
53 = #35	139 = #8B	224 = #E0
54 = #36	140 = #8C	225 = #E1
55 = #37	141 = #8D	226 = #E2
56 = #38	142 = #8E	227 = #E3
57 = #39	143 = #8F	228 = #E4
58 = #3A	144 = #90	229 = #E5
59 = #3B	145 = #91	230 = #E6
60 = #3C	146 = #92	231 = #E7
61 = #3D	147 = #93	232 = #E8
62 = #3E	148 = #94	233 = #E9
63 = #3F	149 = #95	234 = #EA
64 = #40	150 = #96	235 = #EB
65 = #41	151 = #97	236 = #EC
66 = #42	152 = #98	237 = #ED
67 = #43	153 = #99	238 = #EE
68 = #44	154 = #9A	239 = #EF
69 = #45	155 = #9B	240 = #F0
70 = #46	156 = #9C	241 = #F1
71 = #47	157 = #9D	242 = #F2
72 = #48	158 = #9E	243 = #F3
73 = #49	159 = #9F	244 = #F4
74 = #4A	160 = #A0	245 = #F5
75 = #4B	161 = #A1	246 = #F6
76 = #4C	162 = #A2	247 = #F7
77 = #4D	163 = #A3	248 = #F8
78 = #4E	164 = #A4	249 = #F9
79 = #4F	165 = #A5	250 = #FA
80 = #50	166 = #A6	251 = #FB
81 = #51	167 = #A7	252 = #FC
82 = #52	168 = #A8	253 = #FD
83 = #53	169 = #A9	254 = #FE
84 = #54	170 = #AA	255 = #FF
85 = #55

Now, why am I trying to confuse you? Honestly, I'm not. Really! I'm just trying to give you a better feel for how colors work on the Web and in computing in general. And I'm also trying to give you a way to translate hexadecimal color codes into something that you can use in some of the software that's probably already on your computer.
For instance, many graphics programs allow you to define custom colors to use for backgrounds, text, borders, etc. And if you like some of the colors that you can use on the forum, with all this stuff as a background, you should be able to add them to your custom colors in whatever program you might like to use them. But before we move on, let's take a look at the colors that are available on the forum (though I should warn that some older browsers - particularly older versions of IE - will not be able to display these colors correctly because they were originally developed for Netscape, but have since been adopted into standard HTML):

 

Color Name	RGB Code	Color Name	RGB Code
----------	----	----------	----
aliceblue	#F0F8FF	lightsalmon	#FFA07A
antiquewhite	#FAEBD7	lightseagreen	#20B2AA
aqua	#00FFFF	lightskyblue	#87CEFA
aquamarine	#7FFFD4	lightslategray	#778899
azure	#F0FFFF	lightsteelblue	#B0C4DE
beige	#F5F5DC	lightyellow	#FFFFE0
bisque	#FFE4C4	lime	#00FF00
black	#000000	limegreen	#32CD32
blanchedalmond	#FFEBCD	linen	#FAF0E6
blue	#0000FF	magenta	#FF00FF
blueviolet	#8A2BE2	maroon	#800000
brown	#A52A2A	mediumaquamarine	#66CDAA
burlywood	#DEB887	mediumblue	#0000CD
cadetblue	#5F9EA0	mediumorchid	#BA55D3
chartreuse	#7FFF00	mediumpurple	#9370DB
chocolate	#D2691E	mediumseagreen	#3CB371
coral	#FF7F50	mediumslateblue	#7B68EE
cornflowerblue	#6495ED	mediumspringgreen	#00FA9A
cornsilk	#FFF8DC	mediumturquoise	#48D1CC
crimson	#DC143C	mediumvioletred	#C71585
cyan	#00FFFF	midnightblue	#191970
darkblue	#00008B	mintcream	#F5FFFA
darkcyan	#008B8B	mistyrose	#FFE4E1
darkgoldenrod	#B8860B	moccasin	#FFE4B5
darkgray	#A9A9A9	navajowhite	#FFDEAD
darkgreen	#006400	navy	#000080
darkkhaki	#BDB76B	oldlace	#FDF5E6
darkmagenta	#8B008B	olive	#808000
darkolivegreen	#556B2F	olivedrab	#6B8E23
darkorange	#FF8C00	orange	#FFA500
darkorchid	#9932CC	orangered	#FF4500
darkred	#8B0000	orchid	#DA70D6
darksalmon	#E9967A	palegoldenrod	#EEE8AA
darkseagreen	#8FBC8F	palegreen	#98FB98
darkslateblue	#483D8B	paleturquoise	#AFEEEE
darkslategray	#2F4F4F	palevioletred	#DB7093
darkturquoise	#00CED1	papayawhip	#FFEFD5
darkviolet	#9400D3	peachpuff	#FFDAB9
deeppink	#FF1493	peru	#CD853F
deepskyblue	#00BFFF	pink	#FFC0CB
dimgray	#696969	plum	#DDA0DD
dodgerblue	#1E90FF	powderblue	#B0E0E6
firebrick	#B22222	purple	#800080
floralwhite	#FFFAF0	red	#FF0000
forestgreen	[font=Courier  New]#228B22[/font]	rosybrown	#BC8F8F
fuchsia	#FF00FF	royalblue	#4169E1
gainsboro	#DCDCDC	saddlebrown	#8B4513
ghostwhite	#F8F8FF	salmon	#FA8072
gold	#FFD700	sandybrown	#F4A460
goldenrod	#DAA520	seagreen	#2E8B57
gray	#808080	seashell	#FFF5EE
green	#008000	sienna	#A0522D
greenyellow	#ADFF2F	silver	#C0C0C0
honeydew	#F0FFF0	skyblue	#87CEEB
hotpink	#FF69B4	slateblue	#6A5ACD
indianred	#CD5C5C	slategray	#708090
indigo	#4B0082	snow	#FFFAFA
ivory	#FFFFF0	springgreen	#00FF7F
khaki	#F0E68C	steelblue	#4682B4
lavender	#E6E6FA	tan	#D2B48C
lavenderblush	#FFF0F5	teal	#008080
lawngreen	#7CFC00	thistle	#D8BFD8
lemonchiffon	#FFFACD	tomato	#FF6347
lightblue	#ADD8E6	turquoise	#40E0D0
lightcoral	#F08080	violet	#EE82EE
lightcyan	#E0FFFF	wheat	#F5DEB3
lightgoldenrodyellow	#FAFAD2	white	#FFFFFF
lightgreen	#90EE90	whitesmoke	#F5F5F5
lightgrey	#D3D3D3	yellow	#FFFF00
lightpink	#FFB6C1	yellowgreen	#9ACD32

A lengthy list, but really quite small when you consider that there are actually 16,777,216 colors available. These are merely the colors that someone decided to name so that people without a Math or Computer Science degree could avoid using hexadecimal codes and use understandable words instead. (And I seriously doubt that anyone will ever sit down and try to name all 16,777,216 available colors! )

So, say you've decided that you like mediumturquoise so much that you want to make it one of your custom colors. However, your software wants you to enter three numbers between 0 and 255 to define a color. As you can see in the chart above, the hexadecimal code for mediumturquoise is #48D1CC. How do you make that information useful? Well, you break it up into its Red, Green, and Blue components, and then with the chart I've provided, you convert the hexadecimal code to its equivelent decimal number between 0 and 255 (0 being its darkest shade, 255 its brightest).
For #48D1CC, the Red component is the first two characters after the number sign, so Red equals 48 hexadecimal. The Green component is the two middle characters, so D1 hexadecimal is the Green component. And the last two characters are the Blue component, which is CC.
Now, going back to refer to the chart I've provided, you'll see that 48 hexadecimal equals 72, D1 hexadecimal equals 209, and CC hexadecimal equals 204. So, to add the color mediumturquoise to your software's custom colors, you'd enter the following values:

Red = 72
Green = 209
Blue = 204

End of today's lesson. But you can be sure that this won't be the last one I'll ever post. And if I've whet your appetite to learn more on this subject, I suggest you check out the following link:

HTML Color Names

where you'll not only be able to get a better idea of what each of the colors looks like, you'll find links to all sorts of HTML related topics.


Have fun posting with all the new colors!

The MB

[Raineypark]

That's one hell of a Crayon box you've got there, Pepe....how nice of you to offer to share....

Rainey  

[Patti Feinberg]

[size=42]aaaaaahhhhhhhhh[/size]



:'(MB just sent Patti

[size=36]shrieking[/size]

into the night.
(is  that spelled right? I tried it both ways?)

Be careful small children and pets.

Over the edge...into the abyss.

Jesus saves† (ah ha!!  a cross!!! is anyone impressed?)

the late, lamented, insane:
Patio Furniture
aka Patti Feinberg

Okay...MB (mercy!!), why, if I put the html??? code for a cross, and it appears on my message as a cross, does it come out as that above jibberish? There's no & or # involved....I was going to impress you    

[CandleLighter]

thanks for posting these

[Cassandra]

Thanks MB!!  These are great!


 nice color  
love these colors!    
what a color
wow! [/glow]

[Cassandra]

this is a nice color!!

  trying out new things!!

these are great!

[Cassandra]

 LOVE ALL THESE HOT COLORS

 pink is my favorite color [/glow]

[jennifer]

[size=*]OMG[/size]
i am right behind Patti(must be the name) and yes I'm impressed Patti!
have to read this when my head is not spinning after
this horrid heatwave[sun] and a day of housework!Also [size=8]is it time to go back to school yet[/size]


jennifer[spin]
PS THE RED SOX s....
sorry usually more ladylike but it's been a week!
i'll be back

psshey it worked
a lot of my colors look the same though is it my computer?

[Midnite]

psshey it worked
a lot of my colors look the same though is it my computer?

It's easier to see the difference when the letters are larger:
lightseagreen
aqua

My favorite is the dodgerblue.  Guess why, hee hee!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

a lot of my colors look the same though is it my computer?

Not all versions of IE recognize all the color names. It might be that you need to upgrade in order to see them correctly.

[jennifer]

THanks MB and Midnite

maybe i should go out and get a Dell heehee!

jennifer

[Minja]

Testing[/color]

[shadow=#FF00FF,left,300]Always, Minja  [/shadow]

Sheez, I'm behind in everything.[/color]

[Patti Feinberg]

That's one hell of a Crayon box you've got there, Pepe....how nice of you to offer to share....

Rainey  

[text=cornflowerblue]testing testing[/cornflowerblue]

(what would happen on here if I put the corresponding code instead of word color??
Patti

hmmm...why no cornflowerblue available???

[Midnite]

[text=cornflowerblue]testing testing[/cornflowerblue]

(what would happen on here if I put the corresponding code instead of word color??
Patti

hmmm...why no cornflowerblue available???

It is available, but that's what happens when you experiment with the codes.

Incorrect:

Code: [Select]

[text=cornflowerblue]testing testing[/cornflowerblue]correct:

Code: [Select]

[color=cornflowerblue]testing testing[/color]

[onyx_treasure]

Just wanted to see if I could do it right in two different colors
[shadow=hotpink, left]onyx treasure[/shadow]