Description
The java.awt.Color class is used to create new colors, and predefines
a few color constants (see below). Java
allows the creation of up to 24 million different
colors.
Because our eyes have three kinds of neurons that respond primarily to
red, green, and blue, it's possible for computer monitors (and TVs)
to create all colors using the RGB system.
The RGB system Java uses combines
red,
green, and
blue
in amounts represented by a number from 0 to 255. For example,
red is (255, 0, 0) -- 255 units of red, no green, and no blue.
White is (255, 255, 255) and black is (0,0,0).
Color Constants
Java originally defined a few color constant names in lowercase,
which violated the naming rule of using uppercase for constants.
These are best to use since they are available in all versions
of Java:
Color.black, Color.darkGray, Color.gray, Color.lightGray, Color.white,
Color.magenta, Color.red, Color.pink, Color.orange,
Color.yellow, Color.green, Color.cyan, Color.blue
Java 1.4 added the proper uppercase names for constants:
Color.BLACK, Color.DARK_GRAY, Color.GRAY, Color.LIGHT_GRAY, Color.WHITE,
Color.MAGENTA, Color.RED, Color.PINK, Color.ORANGE,
Color.YELLOW, Color.GREEN, Color.CYAN, Color.BLUE
Constructor
Color c = new Color(int red, int green, int blue)
This creates a new color object that is
a combination of red, green, and blue.
The values of each color must be in the range 0-255.
Don't do anything to a Color
A Color object is created only to be passed as a parameter.
You will never call any Color methods.
Example
Color c = new Color(255, 255, 240);
this.setBackground(c);
Advanced
Additional constructors use single packed ints or floating point values.
In addition, there is support for the HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness)
color model and transparency.
There is a Color Chooser in Java 2 that lets the user choose a color.
See Also
Example - ColorDisplay
example with sliders to adjust each of the RGB colors.