Hex color looks different on web

[richardd14964573]

Hi,

I saw a color on the web that i would like to use.

When i make a print screen of the color and i open the image in Illustrator.

The color seems great (i use Monitor RGB - Display as screen setting).

When i take the Hex color (e3497d) with the Eyedropper Tool and i use the Hex color in my webpage it looks dull (see image).

Does anyone has a solution for this problem?

[Ton Frederiks]

Try to use sRGB as your RGB working space in your Color Settings.

sRGB is the standard on the web, not your montor RGB.

[richardd14964573]

Hi Ton,

How do i get the right Hex color of an image than?

When i open the image with sRGB as working space, the color is changed.

[Ton Frederiks]

If you use sRGB as your working space, the eyedropper gives you the correct sRGB hex code.

I tried you example hexcode in a web hexcode color generator and the result was as dull as yours.

The color you preferred had a different hexcode: f9367d

[richardd14964573]

Hi Ton,

Thanks for giving me the correct Hex code.

You are totally right about the hex code and sRGB working space.

It gives me the correct hex code when i use the eyedropper.

Unfortunately I still have the same problem.

I can't get the right Hex code out of my Illustrator.

I've set my working space to sRGB but if i open the print screen, the color doesn't match with the color I see on the original image.

[Monika Gause]

You have an RGB document in Illustrator?

[richardd14964573]

Hi Monika,

Yes, i use RGB as Document Color Mode.

When i open the print screen in Photoshop the color looks good.

But when i use the eyedropper tool, it give me the wrong Hex code.

[Ton Frederiks]

Try to set your Color Settings to one of the Web/Internet presets.

Place your screendump in a new RGB document and try again. 

[Test Screen Name]

The whole idea of a hex code as a standard colour is not real. It may work in a way you stay only with non colour managed apps, best to avoid the Adobe apps - they give accurate colour, which every other app and the web will ignore. 

[Monika Gause]

I don't see an issue getting that color (the one Ton posted) through Illustrator onto the web with colormanagement turned on.

[Ton Frederiks]

"The whole idea of a hex code as a standard colour is not real."

The whole idea of RGB or CMYK as a standard color is not real as long as you don't specify which RGB or which CMYK you are talking about.

Hex colors are just anothor way of specifying an RGB color.

Generally spoken, if you use sRGB and the sRGB hex colors, you can assume that the browsers show them in the same way.

[richardd14964573]

Hi Ton,

This is not the solution unfortunately.

[Monika Gause]

"When i take the Hex color (e3497d) with the Eyedropper Tool and i use the Hex color in my webpage it looks dull (see image)."

What exactly does that part mean step by step?

[richardd14964573]

Hi Monika,

This is the process that i take:

1. I make a printscreen of the image that i found on the internet (shift+cmd+4)

2. I open the image in Illustrator.

3. I take the Eyedropper tool and click on the image that I have opened in Illustrator.

4. I copy the Hex value and paste it into my webpage.

As result i get a dull color (see first picture of this conversation).

If you take the steps above using this image below.

What hex code do you get?

[Monika Gause]

When I do that I get a bright result.

The trouble with Illustrator's color pickter is that it picks up what gets rendered to the screen, so a couple of settings come into play before you read that value.

If all you want to do is read the color value from a webpage, then get a utility or a browser add-on that does this, because your browser and your printscreen utility might add to the issue.

I'm seeing that you use Mac OS - have you ever heard of the Digital Color Meter? It does exactly what you need and it resides on your Mac already. It's in Applications > Utilities.

[richardd14964573]

Hi Monika,

Using the Digital Color Meter is an option.

However, when i open the image in Illustrator and i use sRGB as color settings (colors matches with the hex code i'm using for web). I get the dull version of the image. Verry anoying when you use images in your work.

I'm curious about the reason that you get a bright result and i see a dull color.

[Monika Gause]

There is a slight possiblity that something is not working correctly with your installation of Illustrator and/or your graphics card. But I suspect an inappropriate setup of color management.

[richardd14964573]

I think so to.

I'm gonna reinstall Illustrator.

[Ton Frederiks]

When I sample your screenshot I get f9357d.

What do you expect/get?

[richardd14964573]

Hi Ton,

I get e3497d.

So there is something wrong with my color settings.

I will reinstall Illustrator.

Maybe that will do the trick.

[Ton Frederiks]

Resetting preferences may also help.

But especialliy the Color Settings, make sure to select one of the Genereral or Web presets.

[Ton Frederiks]

Just to make sure, the eyedropper you are talking about, is that the eyedropper  tool in Illustrator or Photoshop or another utility?

[richardd14964573]

Hi Ton,

It is the eyedropper tool in Illustrator.

I've got the same issue in Photoshop.

[richardd14964573]

I reinstalled Illustrator and I still get the dull color on my screen with hexcode: E3497D when i open the image.

But I now know what the problem is.

When I make a printscreen with shift + cmd + 4, it makes an image on my desktop.

When I open this image in Illustrator with sRGB as color setting, I get a dull color.

When I open my image from my post, I get the right color.

For some reason i get dull colors when I open my print screens.

Does someone has an answer for this problem?