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Version 3.1   Updated Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 8:20pm

Color Select Tool

The Color Select Tool is a small utility that allows you to quickly copy the hex code of a color on your screen. I originally created this program because I was tired of having to take a screenshot and open photoshop just to capture a color, and I was not happy with similar programs. Simply run the program, move the mouse to the color you want to capture, and press the shift key. The hex color code will then be copied to your clipboard. You can also choose to have it add the # symbol in front of the code, and/or have it stay on top of other windows.

Requirements

This program has been tested in Windows XP, XP 64, and Vista. It may work in previous Windows versions as well. If you receive any messages about VB runtime DLLs being required, these can easily be found on the internet.

Notice

The previous version of this program (2.0) required the .NET framework to be installed. The current version no longer requires this.

While I have tested this release, there may still be bugs, so if you encounter a problem please leave a comment below.

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Changelog

  • 09-27-07 Version 3.1 – Bug fixed with color code generation.
  • 09-23-07 Version 3.0 – Re-written. New instructions below.
  • 10-19-05 Version 2.0 – First public release.

Installing

No installation is needed. Just extract the executable from the ZIP file and run it.

Usage

Color Select Tool

To use the program, just move the mouse to the color on your screen that you want to capture and press the SHIFT key. The color will automatically be added to your clipboard.

If you would like the # symbol to be added in front of the color code, just check the ‘add #‘ checkbox, or press the A key on your keyboard.

To force the program to stay on top of other windows, check the ‘stay on top‘ checkbox, or press the T key.

Note: In order for the hotkeys (SHIFT, A, T) to work, the program has to have focus. This means it needs to be the currently active program. If the hotkeys do not work, just click on the title bar of the program to set it active.

If you minimize the program, it goes to the system tray. You can click on the system tray icon to show/hide the program, or right click to exit.

  1. 10
    ben
    10-4-09 11:15PM

    I’ve got the Win7 RC 64bit installed and it works as advertised. Excellent utility!

  2. 9
    Tanya
    3-31-08 11:20AM

    Will this tool work with the flash player applications?

  3. 8
    Admin
    9-27-07 9:24PM

    Version 3.1 Released

    This released fixes a small issue some users were experiencing (color codes not always being generated properly).

  4. 7
    Laarni
    9-25-07 3:21AM

    Thank you so much. Very helpful. I thought I was the only human who captures color by screencapping using photoshop.

    I’m in love with you already.dd hehe. kidding.

  5. 6
    Admin
    9-23-07 11:00PM

    Version 3.0 Released

    I finally located the code for my very first version of this program and used it as a base for this new release. The general usage of the program is the same, although a few changes have been made.

    The good news is that this version no longer requires the .Net framework, so a lot of those issues should be resolved. It should also work on all versions of XP, and Vista, and possibly even older versions of Windows (not tested yet). If you do happen to receive any errors about missing DLL files (VB runtime libraries), these can be easily found on the internet.

    Let me know if you experience any bugs with this version, as I will be testing it more myself.

  6. 5
    Robert Howe
    8-10-07 3:27PM

    I have the same problem, I am running Windows XP pro with SP2 and all up to date packs and newest .net installed…. Do you still have the old ver of this laying around? If so maybe it would work for those of us having the problems….

  7. 4
    Admin
    7-30-06 10:33PM

    imthduke: What version of Windows are you using? I would try downloading the latest version of .net

    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

  8. 3
    imthduke
    7-30-06 9:40PM

    In trying to use the slick little color selector tool, which I really would find useful, I get this error…”Unhandled exception had occurred in your application. If you click Continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click Quit, the application will close immediately.” Arithmetic operation resulted in an overflow.

    *message cropped*

  9. 2
    Admin
    1-15-06 3:28AM

    I know it is a generic suggestion, but I would make sure you have all the latest Windows updates, including the latest version of .Net :)

  10. 1
    Arne
    1-15-06 3:13AM

    Hi,

    I’m getting the following exception:

    System.OverflowException: Die arithmetische Operation hat einen Ãœberlauf verursacht.
    bei Project1.Form1.Timer1_Tick(Object eventSender, EventArgs eventArgs)
    bei System.Windows.Forms.Timer.OnTick(EventArgs e)
    bei System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNativeWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
    bei System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

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