PaletteWorkshop is a native macOS colour-workflow companion for designers, developers, artists and game creators. Use it to create, refine, analyse, organise and export reusable colour palettes.

PaletteWorkshop does not replace the macOS colour picker or an image editor. It provides a focused workspace for developing palettes and moving them between creative projects.

Getting started

When PaletteWorkshop opens, the sidebar displays your palette library.

To create a palette:

Click the + button in the toolbar.
Alternatively, choose File → New Palette or press ⌘N.
Select the new palette in the sidebar.
Click its name at the top of the editor to rename it.

Changes are saved automatically.

The free edition supports up to three palettes. Creating a fourth palette requires the permanent PaletteWorkshop Pro unlock.

The palette library

The sidebar contains every palette saved on your Mac.

Each entry displays:

The palette name
A miniature colour preview
The number of colours
A star when the palette is marked as a favourite

Search the library

Use the search field at the top of the sidebar to find palettes.

Search checks:

Palette names
Colour names
Hexadecimal values
Tags
Notes

For example, searching for #16324F, Harbour, or interface can locate a matching palette.

Delete a palette

To delete a palette:

Select it in the sidebar.
Click the trash button in the toolbar.
Confirm the deletion.

You can also Control-click a palette and choose Delete Palette.

Deletion is permanent, so export a JSON backup first if you may need the palette again.

Working with colours

The upper part of the editor displays the colours in the selected palette.

Click a colour card to select it. The lower editor then displays its preview and precision controls.

Add a colour

Click Add Colour above the palette.

The new colour is based on the currently selected colour, making it convenient to develop variations.

The free edition supports up to eight colours in each palette. Adding a ninth colour requires PaletteWorkshop Pro. Pro palettes can contain up to 32 colours.

Remove a colour

Select the colour you want to remove.
Click Remove Colour.

Every palette must contain at least one colour, so its final colour cannot be removed.

Reorder colours

Drag a colour card horizontally and drop it in the desired position.

The order is preserved when the palette is saved or exported.

Naming colours

Select a colour and enter a descriptive name in the Colour Identity section.

Useful names communicate purpose as well as appearance. Examples include:

Primary Action
Surface Background
Warning Amber
Deep Harbour
Moonlit Sage
Character Highlight

Press Return after editing a name to save it.

Choosing a colour

The Colour control opens the standard macOS colour picker. Use it for visual selection or for choosing a colour from any method supported by macOS.

PaletteWorkshop stores colours as opaque sRGB values. Opacity is not included in Version 1.

Entering hexadecimal colours

Enter a six-digit hexadecimal value in the Hex field, such as:

#2867A8

Press Return to apply it.

PaletteWorkshop normalises valid values and rejects invalid input without replacing the existing colour.

Precise RGB editing

Select RGB to adjust the colour using red, green and blue components.

Each component ranges from 0 to 255.

You can:

Drag the slider
Use the stepper for single-unit changes
Click −10 or +10 for larger adjustments

RGB is useful when matching established brand values, interface specifications or exported colour tokens.

Precise HSV editing

Select HSV to adjust:

Hue: 0–359°
Saturation: 0–100%
Brightness: 0–100%

HSV is useful for making visual adjustments such as warming a hue, reducing saturation or creating lighter and darker variations.

Choose your preferred default editing model under Settings → Default colour model. PaletteWorkshop remembers the selection.

Original and current colours

When you modify a selected colour, PaletteWorkshop retains its original value for comparison.

The editor shows the original colour and provides a Revert button whenever the current value differs.

Click Revert to restore the original colour.

Undoing changes

PaletteWorkshop supports standard macOS undo for editing operations.

Choose Edit → Undo or press ⌘Z to reverse the latest supported change.

Harmony generation replaces the complete palette as one undoable operation, allowing you to experiment without permanently losing the previous palette.

Generating harmonious palettes

Click Generate Harmony to build a five-colour palette from a selected base colour.

The currently selected colour becomes the initial base. You can change it using the colour picker or hexadecimal field before applying the result.

Harmony rules

Complementary

Combines a base hue with its opposite on the colour wheel, supported by related variations.

Complementary is available in the free edition.

Analogous

Uses neighbouring hues to produce a cohesive, low-conflict palette.

Useful for illustration, environmental design and restrained branding.

Triadic

Uses three broadly evenly spaced hue families.

Useful when a project needs variety while retaining visual balance.

Split Complementary

Pairs the base colour with two hues surrounding its direct complement.

This usually produces strong contrast with less tension than a direct complementary scheme.

Monochromatic

Keeps the palette within one hue family while varying brightness and tonal character.

Useful for interfaces, data visualisation and focused brand systems.

Tints

Moves colours towards white to produce lighter variations.

Shades

Moves colours towards black to produce deeper variations.

Muted / Tonal

Reduces intensity to create softer and more restrained colours.

All harmony rules other than Complementary require PaletteWorkshop Pro.

Applying a harmony

Select a base colour.
Click Generate Harmony.
Choose a harmony rule.
Review the generated preview.
Click Replace Palette.

Applying the harmony replaces the palette’s existing colours. Use Undo if you want to return to the previous palette.

Analysing a palette

Choose Actions → Analyse Palette to receive constructive colour-theory guidance.

PaletteWorkshop examines qualities such as:

Hue distribution
Tonal range
Saturation
Similar or near-duplicate colours
Overall palette character
Possible contrast or differentiation concerns

The analysis is deliberately descriptive. It does not assign a quality score or declare a palette “good” or “bad”.

Colour suitability depends on context, audience, medium and intended use. Treat the results as prompts for consideration rather than absolute rules.

Interpreting feedback

A narrow tonal range may be appropriate for a subtle illustration but less useful for an interface that requires strongly differentiated controls.

Closely related hues may produce excellent cohesion while making individual categories harder to distinguish.

A vivid palette may create energy and emphasis, while a muted palette may feel calmer and more sophisticated.

Use the feedback alongside your own creative judgement and any accessibility testing required by your project.

Palette details and organisation

Choose Actions → Palette Details to manage additional information.

Notes

Use notes to record:

The project or client
Intended usage
Accessibility considerations
Export destinations
Design decisions
Alternative colour ideas

Notes are searchable from the library.

Favourites

Mark frequently used or important palettes as favourites.

Favourite palettes display a gold star in the sidebar, making important work easier to recognise.

Exporting palettes

Export requires PaletteWorkshop Pro.

Choose Actions → Export Palette, select a format and review the generated preview before saving.

Aseprite GPL

Exports a GIMP Palette-compatible .gpl file that can be imported into Aseprite and other compatible applications.

Use this format for pixel art, sprites and game-production workflows.

SwiftUI

Generates Swift source containing portable sRGB colour definitions.

Use this output as a starting point for colour constants or a design-token structure in an Apple-platform project.

Review and rename generated symbols as appropriate for your project’s coding conventions.

CSS

Generates CSS custom properties for use in websites and web applications.

For example:

:root {
    --deep-harbour: #16324F;
    --atlantic-blue: #2867A8;
    --clear-current: #4EA5D9;
}

PaletteWorkshop creates safe, unique property names when colour names repeat or contain unsupported characters.

Plain text

Produces a simple list of colour names and hexadecimal values.

This format is useful for documentation, messages, project notes and applications without a dedicated import format.

JSON backup

Creates a versioned representation of the palette and its metadata.

Use JSON to preserve:

Palette name
Colours
Colour names
Order
Notes
Tags
Favourite status

JSON is intended as a portable backup format for PaletteWorkshop data and future compatibility.

Saving an export

Choose the required format.
Review the filename and preview.
Click Save.
Select a destination using the standard macOS save panel.

PaletteWorkshop writes only to the location you choose.

PaletteWorkshop Pro

PaletteWorkshop Pro is a permanent lifetime unlock. It is not a subscription.

Pro includes:

Unlimited saved palettes
Up to 32 colours per palette
Every harmony generator
All export formats

The free edition includes:

Up to three palettes
Up to eight colours per palette
Manual colour creation and refinement
RGB and HSV controls
Complementary harmony generation
Palette analysis
Notes, tags, favourites and library search

Existing work remains accessible and editable if it exceeds a free-edition limit.

Purchasing Pro

When you reach a Pro feature, PaletteWorkshop displays the lifetime-unlock screen.

Click Unlock Forever and complete the purchase through the App Store.

The displayed price is supplied by Apple in your local currency.

Restoring Pro

If you previously purchased Pro using the same Apple Account:

Open the Pro screen.
Click Restore Purchase.
Allow the App Store to verify the entitlement.

You can also view your current Free or Pro status in Settings.

Settings and help

Click Settings at the bottom of the sidebar.

Settings contains:

Your default RGB or HSV editing model
Free or Pro purchase status
Access to the lifetime unlock
The Quick Guide
App Store review access
Version 1 format information

Quick Guide

The built-in Quick Guide provides a concise overview of PaletteWorkshop’s principal workflows.

Use this website guide when you need more detailed instructions.

Storage and privacy

PaletteWorkshop does not require an account.

Palettes, colour information, notes, tags and preferences are stored locally on your Mac. PaletteWorkshop does not contain advertising, behavioural analytics or third-party tracking.

Purchases and App Store reviews are handled by Apple.

For complete information, see the PaletteWorkshop Privacy Policy at:

[privacy policy URL]

Troubleshooting

The lifetime unlock is unavailable

Confirm that:

Your Mac has an internet connection
You are signed into the App Store
In-App Purchases are permitted for the account
Apple’s App Store services are available

New App Store products can sometimes take time to become available.

If you have already purchased Pro, try Restore Purchase.

An export cannot be saved

Check that:

The selected folder is writable
The destination file is not locked
There is sufficient available storage
The filename is valid
PaletteWorkshop has permission to access the selected location

Choose a different destination and try again.

A colour value is rejected

Hexadecimal values must contain six hexadecimal digits, optionally preceded by #.

Valid example:

#4EA5D9

Invalid examples include incomplete values or characters outside 0–9 and A–F.

The final colour cannot be removed

Every palette must contain at least one colour. Create another colour before removing the existing one.

A palette is missing from search results

Clear the search field, then try searching for part of its:

Name
Notes
Tag
Colour name
Hexadecimal value

Support

If you need assistance, contact:
Email: peters456@btinternet.com

When reporting a problem, please include:

Your macOS version
Your PaletteWorkshop version
What you were attempting to do
The steps needed to reproduce the problem
Any relevant error message

Do not include confidential palette data unless it is necessary to investigate the issue.

PaletteWorkshop User Guide - Simple ISA Information