colour
converts and manipulates various color representation (HSL, RVB, web, X11, ...)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need simple color conversion and manipulation in a small script or educational project and are comfortable with an unmaintained package. No, if you require active maintenance, support for modern Python versions, or a production-grade library—consider a maintained alternative. The zero dependencies and permissive license make it low-risk to try, but the 2017 last release and abandoned status mean no bug fixes or feature updates will arrive.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Package is abandoned; classifiers list Python 2.7, 3.3–3.6 but no requires_python constraint, so compatibility with modern Python versions is unverified.
- No runtime dependencies and low install friction.
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2017-11-19 and last commit 2023-07-30—so expect no active maintenance or support for modern Python versions.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD 3-Clause License (permissive) — BSD 3-Clause License (permissive) allows use in most projects, commercial or open-source, with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
last release 2017-11-19 (3190 days) · last repo commit 2023-07-30 · 331 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 2,026,948 downloads/mo, #3,355 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install colour
from colour import Color
c = Color("red")
print(c.hex) # '#f00'
print(c.rgb) # (1.0, 0.0, 0.0)
red = Color("red")
blue = Color("blue")
for color in red.range_to(blue, 5):
print(color)- Whether the package actually works on Python 3.7 and later despite being last released in 2017.
- Whether the web color naming follows current W3C standards or is frozen at the time of last release.
- Performance characteristics when generating large color gradients.
What it is and what it does
Colour is a lightweight library for working with colors in Python. It provides a single Color object that can be instantiated from multiple formats—named colors (e.g., 'red'), RGB tuples, HSL tuples, 3-digit hex, or 6-digit hex—and converts freely between them. You can read and modify individual color components (red, green, blue, hue, saturation, luminance) and generate smooth color gradients between two colors. The library also includes standalone conversion functions (rgb2hex, hsl2rgb, etc.) for those who prefer functional style.
The package has no runtime dependencies, making it trivial to install. However, it has been abandoned since 2017 and receives no active maintenance. The codebase is documented with extensive doctest examples, and the library is designed to be simple and Pythonic. It's suitable for small projects, scripts, and educational use, but should be carefully evaluated for production systems that need ongoing support or compatibility with the latest Python versions.
Use it for
- Generate color scales or gradients for data visualization, heatmaps, or UI design mockups.
- Parse and normalize user-supplied color input (hex, RGB, named colors) in web applications or CLI tools.
- Convert between color formats in image processing or graphics pipelines that need both human-readable and machine-readable representations.
- Build simple color-picking or color-identification features in applications.
- Create CSS or HTML color specifications programmatically from RGB or HSL values.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need simple color conversion and manipulation in a small script or educational project and are comfortable with an unmaintained package.
No, if you require active maintenance, support for modern Python versions, or a production-grade library—consider a maintained alternative. The zero dependencies and permissive license make it low-risk to try, but the 2017 last release and abandoned status mean no bug fixes or feature updates will arrive.
Install
colour on PyPI
Before you install
No runtime dependencies and low install friction. However, the package is abandoned—last release was 2017-11-19 and last commit 2023-07-30—so expect no active maintenance or support for modern Python versions.
Package is abandoned; classifiers list Python 2.7, 3.3–3.6 but no requires_python constraint, so compatibility with modern Python versions is unverified.
License in practice
BSD 3-Clause License (permissive) allows use in most projects, commercial or open-source, with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.
Quickstart
pip install colour
from colour import Color
c = Color("red")
print(c.hex) # '#f00'
print(c.rgb) # (1.0, 0.0, 0.0)
red = Color("red")
blue = Color("blue")
for color in red.range_to(blue, 5):
print(color)Verify before relying
- Whether the package actually works on Python 3.7 and later despite being last released in 2017.
- Whether the web color naming follows current W3C standards or is frozen at the time of last release.
- Performance characteristics when generating large color gradients.
Package facts
| License | BSD 3-Clause License permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 3,190 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 2,026,948 / month, #3,355 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.4Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: colour-0.1.5-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also coloraide · colorhash · colorlover · colorzero · colourmap · webcolors · color-operations · colour-science · materialyoucolor · color-matcher