Know a color tool that does this?

[Jazzylee77]

I seem to spend a lot of time looking for text colors that will show up against a particular image. This made me wonder if there is a tool (As in free online tool) that would analyze the colors in an image and select the best colors for text overlay? I bet this is something publishers use...but then again maybe they have a more natural eye for it than I do. :)

[MrWizard]

This may be just what you're looking for:

http://www.animation-online.com/site/3D.shtml

[DavidR]

I think he's after a program that will automatically put, for example: a white tag line on his images if the background is black. Is that correct?

So if the background is the daytime sky. Sky blue with clouds, the program will detect those colours (mainly white and light blue) and print a preset tag line with opposite colours, like black in this case, so it shows up.

I don't know of a program that does this, so I don't know why I'm even posting. I'm no help at all!

[Jazzylee77]

I think he's after a program that will automatically put, for example: a white tag line on his images if the background is black. Is that correct?

So if the background is the daytime sky. Sky blue with clouds, the program will detect those colours (mainly white and light blue) and print a preset tag line with opposite colours, like black in this case, so it shows up.


Yeah something like that, but maybe it analyzes the histograph or or whatever it is that can show all the different colors in the picture, only counting color ranges that are in large enough groups to affect text, then presenting choices that would work against all color ranges. Basically avoiding neighboring colors and contrasting with bright or dark. It would probably need to be hooked into something like photoshop that already has some analysis tools.

I don't always like the technique of using a textbox background with opacity. If a text color can be found that works against all the image colors then I use a transparent background. Easy way out is (for example) to pull down the images blue in a rgb color editor and then use blue text over the color shifted image. This works for some images.

I've only cranked out a few layouts like this, but I'm getting geared up to mass produce them.

[DavidR]

Yeah something like that, but maybe it analyzes the histograph or or whatever it is that can show all the different colors in the picture, only counting color ranges that are in large enough groups to affect text, then presenting choices that would work against all color ranges. Basically avoiding neighboring colors and contrasting with bright or dark. It would probably need to be hooked into something like photoshop that already has some analysis tools.

I don't always like the technique of using a textbox background with opacity. If a text color can be found that works against all the image colors then I use a transparent background. Easy way out is (for example) to pull down the images blue in a rgb color editor and then use blue text over the color shifted image. This works for some images.

I've only cranked out a few layouts like this, but I'm getting geared up to mass produce them.

If you have no luck with this. Maybe you could use a tiny font, make it black then give it a thing white outline/stroke. It wouldn't look so great, but it would save time making an invert color that shows up.

[Jazzylee77]

If you have no luck with this. Maybe you could use a tiny font, make it black then give it a thing white outline/stroke. It wouldn't look so great, but it would save time making an invert color that shows up.

Not sure that can be done with font properties in layout css.

Maybe there is a css trick that would do it? I thought maybe if there was a way set the background opacity but leave the text solid. Basically I hate to cover up a beautiful background so the text is visible. Sure I could make the back ground lightened or change it's color, but that alters it's effect.

I also want an android body so I can live forever.

[DavidR]

Not sure that can be done with font properties in layout css.

Maybe there is a css trick that would do it? I thought maybe if there was a way set the background opacity but leave the text solid. Basically I hate to cover up a beautiful background so the text is visible. Sure I could make the back ground lightened or change it's color, but that alters it's effect.

I also want an android body so I can live forever.


Oh sorry, I was thinking it was something in photoshop.

I think there are text effects that will create an outer glow. But I am not sure if they are compatible with all browsers. I'll have a hunt about.

[DavidR]

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex10/3dtext.htm

This should allow you to make the text have drop down shadows/outer glow. You'll need to adjust the code a little. It should be fine in all browsers.

I couldn't find anything on Google helping you turn into an android and live forever.

[Jazzylee77]

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex10/3dtext.htm

This should allow you to make the text have drop down shadows/outer glow. You'll need to adjust the code a little. It should be fine in all browsers.


Thanks, I'll try that out. That will probably work for some background images.

I guess I didn't explain all that clearly what I was doing.

The problem is when I am choosing text colors for a layout.
A tool I'm hoping for, would show me the best text colors to show up on a given image.

[DavidR]

Thanks, I'll try that out. That will probably work for some background images.

I guess I didn't explain all that clearly what I was doing.

The problem is when I am choosing text colors for a layout.
A tool I'm hoping for, would show me the best text colors to show up on a given image.


What I do is in photoshop I have the colour pallet open. I enter in the background colour, for example e400b6. Then I slide the colour select to a lighter shade or darker shade depending on my preference. I slide that bright pink to a lighter section until the 2 colour examples were defiantly distinguishable: ff8de8.

Table background colour: e400b6
Text colour: ff8de8

That's the fastest way I worked out of doing it efficiently. As I don't know of a program that with auto-do it.

I am sure one exists though, Because Google uses something similar for it's AdSense ads. Like if you select the background of the ads to be white, and then type in a very pale yellow, causing the ads to be virtually invisible then Google will ignore your colour choice and set it to it's own colour automatically, that is more visible.

[MrWizard]

Here's another online tool that might help: http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/

[DavidR]

Here's another online tool that might help: http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/

That's a really neat tool.

[MrWizard]

Thanks, I thought so. Not sure if that will help him but it might.

[Jazzylee77]

What I do is in photoshop I have the colour pallet open. I enter in the background colour, for example e400b6. Then I slide the colour select to a lighter shade or darker shade depending on my preference. I slide that bright pink to a lighter section until the 2 colour examples were defiantly distinguishable: ff8de8.

Table background colour: e400b6
Text colour: ff8de8

That's the fastest way I worked out of doing it efficiently. As I don't know of a program that with auto-do it.

I am sure one exists though, Because Google uses something similar for it's AdSense ads. Like if you select the background of the ads to be white, and then type in a very pale yellow, causing the ads to be virtually invisible then Google will ignore your colour choice and set it to it's own colour automatically, that is more visible.


I'm not talking about a one color background, but selecting a color text that will show over all the main colors found in an image. say a picture of a green and brown tree with red apples with blue sky showing through the branches. Finding the best color text that would show against all those colors and shades.

It's a pretty specialized thing...I should probably post the question in a graphics forum somewhere.

[DavidR]

I'm not talking about a one color background, but selecting a color text that will show over all the main colors found in an image. say a picture of a green and brown tree with red apples with blue sky showing through the branches. Finding the best color text that would show against all those colors and shades.

It's a pretty specialized thing...I should probably post the question in a graphics forum somewhere.

I see I see, you're best off just having a labeled tag in my opinion... I know you said something about not wanting one as it shows up too much.

If it is going to be slim text then it isn't going to show up enough to be worth having. It won't show who made it prominently enough so you won't get any advertisement from it and it will be simple enough that anyone can edit it out and steal your work as their own.

[Jazzylee77]

Not for my tag but for all the text, the about me text, text in comments, why I like my dog, my favorite authors, etc. text text text text over colors colors colors colors

[Ted Hat]

Here's another online tool that might help: http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/

nice tool. Have a version in English?

[DavidR]

nice tool. Have a version in English?

Bottom left, should be an 'english' button.

Jazzylee77, you mean something that will work on a MySpace page and auto change any text entered by the user to a colour that will show up over the background.

Cannot be done. If such a script exists it will almost certainly be written in a code that is blocked by MySpace.

And even if it could be, words would have letters of all colours, the page would be an utter mess. I can't imagine it showing up well either with multi-coloured lettering

[Jazzylee77]

Bottom left, should be an 'english' button.

Jazzylee77, you mean something that will work on a MySpace page and auto change any text entered by the user to a colour that will show up over the background.

Cannot be done. If such a script exists it will almost certainly be written in a code that is blocked by MySpace.

And even if it could be, words would have letters of all colours, the page would be an utter mess. I can't imagine it showing up well either with multi-coloured lettering


Still, no. That's not what I'm looking for. When selecting the color to set the users text in a layout css, I want to choose the one color or have a choice of colors that will work over the entire image. Or at least the best compromise. The tool would give me choices on what single color to choose for that text that work with that multicolored image background.