[Libs-Or] Tech-Talk: GRAPHICS - Snag That Shade: Pick Any Color on Your Screen with ColorZilla
HANNING Darci * SLO
darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov
Tue Jul 22 14:29:24 PDT 2025
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Color pick with ColorZilla
[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/34916cb2-412f-43fa-8294-1f7ecb0e9a3d.png?rdr=true]
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August 6: [CANVA] Canva Power Ups: 10 Must-Have Apps That Turbo-charge Your Designs Learn about several options to make designing easy.
August 13: [VIDEO] Video Magic in 60 Seconds. Grab Attention, Spark Emotion, Get Results. Why Attend? You want a template for making videos quickly.
September 10: [EXCEL] Formatting Secrets for Powerful Spreadsheets Why Attend: You want to learn more about polishing your spreadsheets
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GRAPHICS - Snag That Shade: Pick Any Color on Your Screen with ColorZilla
Intermediate
Have you ever found a color on a website page that you wanted to exactly match in a document or presentation? Or maybe you'd like to pull a complementary shade out of a picture to use in a heading font color?
The problem is ... how can you find the exact color code to use? Well, there are tools called "color pickers" or "eyedroppers" that help you zero-in on the exact shade. They can give you the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and Hex codes (#123456) to use in other places.
[A color picker tool hovers over the blue letter G in the Google logo showing color values and a blue selection circle]
In case you're not familiar with these terms, HEX (short for hexadecimal), along with its sister RGB, are languages to define and represent shades of colors.
HEX is a number system that uses 16 distinct symbols to represent numbers, typically the digits 0-9 and the letters A-F. The letters A through F represent the decimal values 10 through 15, respectively.
RGB is the process of which Red, Green and Blue combine to make colors using three sets of numbers with a range of 0-255. (One set for red tones, one for green, and one for blue tones.)
For instance, in the Google logo image, the official shade of blue in the logo in HEX is #4285F4. In RGB it would be represented as Red 66, Green 133, Blue 244).
What Can You Do ... And Which Tool to Use
When you have the color codes you can do things like…
· Match the right shades from a company logo so that you can be consistent with the brand guidelines.
· Pull a color from an image on a website so that you can use it in a graphic you're creating in a different document.
· Coordinate the color of a heading font in a Word document with an image on the page.
Using a Color Picker makes it easy to find the exact color code of a particular item that you are viewing. This type of tool lets you simply mouse over an element on your screen and the software will reveal both the Hex and the RGB color numbers.
One Free Tool We Like
Now, there are many types of Color Pickers or Eyedroppers. For instance, PowerPoint has one built-in. See how to use it here<https://opiayfbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iPvv2cAzu-omOxP3XPv3U3Jl2rW8VTsnk7C7DsCkx7_eXamPu3GJ43wC0q5PMH6UkPcHUISarEgL32DILMsxUlMh329whi-Luf_5lUTjChwqzkhavzt3HKWEcEaF0stw_eUhwWv1vru5eC5GC80JPsdM24TGW2_bopLq-Mkn2WYQ3ZFpU_zFG1YHSL6BQjPUTB1f1f3OkVXYpwqXVzLtIw==&c=QM_En1ZQflRC4c0SDoiK7bQmsv1ldjCk16azx-GkIaDZKxpiVle5RA==&ch=NAn29JRJ2qhX-K1ABsaY8e3_0gsurA9l6uPG96Zp6rlsszGbcXeVog==>. And many graphics programs (like SnagIt or Canva) incorporate this tool as well.
[Screenshot of the ColorZilla for Chrome webpage showing its colorful logo and a description of its features for designers]
But what if you're not a graphics designer and only need a tool like this occasionally?
Well, there is a free browser extension for Chrome or Firefox called ColorZilla that you can download and use anytime once activated. It sits right in the browser ribbon – at your fingertips to use when needed.
Get the ColorZilla Extension
NOTE: This isn’t software that you download to your computer, but an extension which is an app for your web browser displayed in the top right corner. (Search for "extension" in the Tech-Talk database for more info.)
Install for Chrome
· First, if you use the Chrome browser, go to https://www.colorzilla.com/chrome<https://opiayfbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iPvv2cAzu-omOxP3XPv3U3Jl2rW8VTsnk7C7DsCkx7_eXamPu3GJ4yqenn-UUE4QyDnqyW50Mchao6MaFkd-zRJ-co4f0Xoh_nkKxEtcYhIIsLTQ44hY8Guh6m-h9-Z89Qz87QxuSUcn-owiZ039hM752FtpKE-l&c=QM_En1ZQflRC4c0SDoiK7bQmsv1ldjCk16azx-GkIaDZKxpiVle5RA==&ch=NAn29JRJ2qhX-K1ABsaY8e3_0gsurA9l6uPG96Zp6rlsszGbcXeVog==> and click the Install ColorZilla button to download and follow the installation instructions.
· Next, in Chrome, if you'd like to pin the extension so that it conveniently shows up in your browser toolbar (optional), click the puzzle icon in Chrome’s toolbar (top-right) and next to ColorZilla in the list, click the Pin icon to add it so it's always visible.
[A browser window shows the Extensions menu with ColorZilla selected and highlighted and a red arrow points to the Extensions icon]
Install for Firefox
[Popup message confirms ColorZilla extension was added with a checked box to pin it to the toolbar and an OK button]
· If you use Mozilla Firefox, go to https://www.colorzilla.com/firefox<https://opiayfbab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001iPvv2cAzu-omOxP3XPv3U3Jl2rW8VTsnk7C7DsCkx7_eXamPu3GJ4yqenn-UUE4QyiTA4xWe0JyHtR2ExyCzyLuIxYLXrKpHcrGyLPFPJoz1jrUZFazEvsu2kPKhPxHwC3pqaUTSoh0LsN9ISZFPY_5o8JCDl1dmpFu6AUqatvE=&c=QM_En1ZQflRC4c0SDoiK7bQmsv1ldjCk16azx-GkIaDZKxpiVle5RA==&ch=NAn29JRJ2qhX-K1ABsaY8e3_0gsurA9l6uPG96Zp6rlsszGbcXeVog==> and click the Install ColorZilla button to download and follow the installation instructions.
· TIP: Watch for the Pin extension to toolbar checkbox to add it to your Firefox toolbar.
Use the Eyedropper Tool
When you find a color on a website page that you'd like to identify:
[View of ColorZilla dropdown with a red arrow pointing to the colordropper icon]
· Click the ColorZilla icon in the browser toolbar.
· At the top of the dropdown, the Page Color Picker Active should be displayed (flashing).
· Move your mouse over the area of the page that you want to select a color value. Your mouse will turn into crosshairs (+) and you'll see a live preview of the color (see image below). NOTE: In Chrome, there will be a larger circle surrounding the crosshairs.
· Click to select a color.
View and Copy the Color
· The color code (Hex, RGB, etc.) is now copied to your clipboard automatically so that you can paste it into another platform. The RGB and HEX values will be displayed at the top of the screen.
[A color picker tool selects a blue shade from a Tech-Talk website banner indicated by a red arrow]
· From the ColorZilla dropdown menu, you can choose Color Picker Panel or Picked Color History to see a display of the current color, and other colors that you have selected.
[A color picker tool is open showing a blue shade selected with its RGB and HSL values displayed]
Pick a Color from a Document or File on Your Computer OUTSIDE the Browser Window
You can also pick a color with ColorZilla that is not on a website page.
[A red arrow points to Pick Color Outside Browser in a browser color picker extension menu]
· Open a Chrome or Firefox browser window to access ColorZilla.
· Move the doc, file, etc… near the browser window.
· Go to ColorZilla in the browser and from the dropdown select Pick Color Outside Browser.
· Move your mouse to the area you'd like to pick a color and click to select it.
[A red arrow shows copying a color from a web browser with ColorZilla to a sunflower image in a Word document]
NOTE: In the image above, the browser window is on the left and a Word document is displayed on the right. We are using ColorZilla in Chrome to pick a shade of yellow from the flower in the image inside the Word document.
[https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/e565d7d1-215e-487a-8e78-f332113e7825.jpg?rdr=true]
Communications: Phone
Is Your Voicemail Hurting Your Image?
When was the last time you called your own office number—on purpose—just to hear what others experience?
Recently, I called an organization. No one answered (expected), but what happened next was eye-opening.
First, a recorded voice said, “No one is here to take your call,” followed by a crackly list of confusing options. I chose to leave a message for a staff member by pressing #. Instead of going to voicemail… it said “Goodbye” and disconnected me!
That’s a poor impression ... and a missed opportunity.
A Similar Mis-Step
There are other times when I reach a person’s voicemail and hear, “I’ll be out until February 3rd.” The problem is that I'm calling on March 20th.
Outdated messages, poor audio quality, and unclear instructions all signal that no one’s paying attention—and they frustrate callers.
The Fix? Audit Your System.
Take five minutes this week and call your own number. Is your message:
· Clear and pleasant?
· Current and accurate?
· Easy to follow?
· Friendly and helpful?
Whether it’s your personal voicemail or your department’s automated system, the experience matters. A confusing or outdated message can tarnish your professionalism—or worse, drive people away.
Test your phone like a stranger would. What impression are you giving?
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Cheers,
Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers)
Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator
Continuing Education Resources: https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/
State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services
971-375-3491 | darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov<mailto:darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov> | www.oregon.gov/library<http://www.oregon.gov/library>
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