Color on the web
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| In the early days of the web most systems could
display only 2, 16, or 256 colors. There was no rigid correspondence
between the actual color that was displayed for a particular number
code. Some colors were reserved so that browsers could not use
them. Browsers used a (fairly) common set of 216 colors that were called
by name. This meant that different systems could be adjusted to show
them in a reasonably consistent fashion. |
| Click here to choose from these named colours |
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| More recently systems have become able to show
a much wider range of colors. These are defined by a number code,
representing the amount of red, green, and blue to be used. The
level of each can vary from zero to 256. See below for some examples.
There is still no absolute agreement between the number code used
and the resulting on-screen color. However when a system that can
only display 256 colors is presented with a code it can't display, it
tries to match it by "dithering", as shown in the picture at the
bottom of the page. By choosing from a restricted range of the
colors available we can avoid this dithering. |
| Click
here to choose from the "web-safe color" palette |
