colorthief
A module for grabbing the color palette from an image.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need basic color extraction and can tolerate an unmaintained package. The module is lightweight, dependency-free, and works for its stated purpose. Install only if the 0.2.1 release meets your requirements without needing updates—do not rely on it for production systems requiring ongoing support or Python 3.x compatibility guarantees.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Installs cleanly with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2017-02-09 and last commit 2022-10-31, with no active maintenance.
- Use only if the existing functionality meets your needs without requiring updates.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You may use, modify, and distribute the package freely provided you retain the license notice.
last release 2017-02-09 (3473 days) · last repo commit 2022-10-31 · 1,115 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 444,712 downloads/mo, #6,620 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
from colorthief import ColorThief
color_thief = ColorThief('/path/to/imagefile')
dominant_color = color_thief.get_color(quality=1)
palette = color_thief.get_palette(color_count=6)- Whether the package works reliably with modern image formats and current Python versions beyond 2.7
- Performance characteristics on large images or batch processing scenarios
- Compatibility with Python 3.x versions (classifiers only list 2.6 and 2.7)
What it is and what it does
ColorThief is a Python module that analyzes images to extract their dominant color and generate color palettes. It accepts either a file path or a file-like object and uses the median cut algorithm to cluster similar colors, returning RGB tuples. The module offers a quality parameter to trade off between accuracy and speed—higher quality values produce more precise results but take longer to compute.
The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel. However, it is no longer actively maintained; the last release was in 2017 and development has effectively stopped. It remains functional for straightforward color extraction tasks but receives no updates for compatibility with newer Python versions or image formats.
Use it for
- Extract the dominant color from a product photo for UI theming or design automation
- Generate a representative color palette from artwork or photographs for color scheme inspiration
- Analyze images in batch to build a dataset of color distributions for machine learning or analytics
- Build image thumbnails with a matching background color derived from the source image
- Create color-based image search or filtering systems by comparing extracted palettes
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need basic color extraction and can tolerate an unmaintained package.
The module is lightweight, dependency-free, and works for its stated purpose. Install only if the 0.2.1 release meets your requirements without needing updates—do not rely on it for production systems requiring ongoing support or Python 3.x compatibility guarantees.
Install
colorthief on PyPI
Before you install
Installs cleanly with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2017-02-09 and last commit 2022-10-31, with no active maintenance. Use only if the existing functionality meets your needs without requiring updates.
License in practice
BSD license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. You may use, modify, and distribute the package freely provided you retain the license notice.
Quickstart
from colorthief import ColorThief
color_thief = ColorThief('/path/to/imagefile')
dominant_color = color_thief.get_color(quality=1)
palette = color_thief.get_palette(color_count=6)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with modern image formats and current Python versions beyond 2.7
- Performance characteristics on large images or batch processing scenarios
- Compatibility with Python 3.x versions (classifiers only list 2.6 and 2.7)
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,473 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 444,712 / month, #6,620 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.6Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7 |
Evidence: colorthief-0.2.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also colorclass · distinctipy · colorful · coloraide · ansicolors · materialyoucolor · colourmap · colorlog · pixeloe · epaper-dithering