---
id: colorzero
version: "2.0"
license: BSD-3-Clause
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# colorzero — Yet another Python color library

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 434.2K/mo

## What it is and what it does

colorzero is a color library designed for simplicity and educational use, not comprehensive color science. It represents colors as immutable namedtuple descendants, which means Color instances can be used as dictionary keys or placed in sets—a key difference from most other color libraries. The immutability is enforced: you cannot directly modify a Color's attributes; instead, you perform operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication) that return new Color instances.

The library supports RGB, HLS, and CIE Lab color spaces, with basic Delta-E calculations available for those who need them. It was originally built for the picamera project and targets a wide skill range, from school children learning about color to developers needing straightforward color manipulation. Its single runtime dependency is setuptools, making it lightweight to install.

Use it for:

- Educational projects where students need to learn color manipulation without diving into color science theory
- Embedded or IoT applications (like Raspberry Pi projects) that need simple color handling with minimal dependencies
- Building lookup tables or caches keyed by color values, leveraging Color's hashability
- Converting between RGB, HLS, and Lab color spaces for image processing or visualization tasks
- Performing basic color arithmetic (blending, lightness adjustment) in graphics or LED control code

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

colorzero provides a simple, immutable color manipulation library for Python that supports RGB, HLS, and CIE Lab color spaces with basic Delta-E calculations.

Yes, if you need straightforward color manipulation without heavyweight dependencies or color-science complexity. The immutable design is genuinely useful for caching and set operations. However, the latest release was in 2021, so verify that the package still meets your Python version requirements and that any needed features are already implemented. Not suitable if you require advanced color science or comprehensive color space support.

## Install

pip install colorzero
uv add colorzero
poetry add colorzero

## Installing colorzero

Before you install: Low install friction with only setuptools as a runtime dependency. The package is actively maintained with a recent commit in 2026, though the latest release was in 2021.

License in practice: BSD-3-Clause is a permissive license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only that you retain the license notice.

Quickstart:

pip install colorzero

from colorzero import Color, Lightness

# Create and manipulate colors
result = Color('red') + Color('blue')
adjusted = Color.from_hls(0.5, 0.5, 1.0) * Lightness(0.8)

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package maintains backward compatibility with Python 3.5 and 3.6 despite being released in 2021
- Current test coverage and whether all advertised color space conversions are fully implemented

## Package facts

- License: BSD-3-Clause (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 434.2K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

color manipulation library, RGB HLS color conversion, immutable color objects, color arithmetic operations, simple color library python, CIE Lab color space, color difference calculations, color-manipulation, educational, immutable-design

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