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Launch somethingGuide

Pull a small color palette from an image you own

Choose three source colors, read their exact pixel values and keep a labeled reference sheet.

Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedAdults choosing digital reference colors from original or authorized non-sensitive artwork
What you’re working towards

A selected three-color reference sheet and copyable RGB/hex list, tied to exact pixels in an unchanged owned image. Suggested decorative uses remain design choices.

Download playbook .md

Your choice also saves this guide’s current worked-example checkmarks. Only this browser; no account or sync. View saved guides

Saving needs JavaScript. Reading and downloading this guide does not save it.

Included example · illustrative PNG file

Download the sample swatch sheet

Actual labeled PNG rendered from three exact stored-pixel values; a reference, not a calibrated color proof.

Not tool-tested. Review and adapt before using it for a real project.

Three selected swatches from the original book-and-cup image: pale #F6F1E7, RGB 246,241,231 at (600,400); dark #273F50, RGB 39,63,80 at (900,550); warm #D27A57, RGB 210,122,87 at (875,220). Each has alpha 255. Coordinates are zero-based from the top left. Proposed decorative roles are choices, not measurements.

Download the diagram text

Actual authored swatches from stored source pixels. Open the full sheet for labels; use the original image for sampling. Display and print matching remain unverified.

Source files to work with

Make a start

One step at a time.

4 steps

Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.

Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.

01

Open the source and ask for measured colors

Download “Original practice image” below and open crop-source.png in an image viewer. Check its file information says 1800 × 1200; do not save a screenshot of this page. Open a new chat in an AI assistant you already have permission to use. If its message box offers an image/file attachment control, attach that exact PNG, confirm its filename appears, then paste the whole prompt below and send it. Do not paste the worked Output.
Expect three measured color rows, separate suggested roles and a labeled swatch sheet, or an honest “Exact sampling unavailable” reply. An assistant saying it can see a picture is not proof that it read the original pixels. Ask how the numbers were read; independently check them in the next step. If attaching images or reading pixels is unavailable, continue with the picker route instead of accepting guessed codes. No particular provider, account plan or upload feature is promised.

Your starting prompt
Read the attached original image under the complete rules below. Keep actual pixel measurements separate from visual observations and design choices.

ORIGINAL SYNTHETIC PRACTICE INPUT
Actual attached file: crop-source.png. Download the original PNG supplied with this guide, not a screenshot of its preview. It is an owned, code-native illustration of a book and cup, originally rendered from crop-source.svg for the crop-illustration guide. It is not a photograph. Keep the file unchanged.
Original dimensions: 1800 × 1200 pixels, 8-bit RGBA PNG. Coordinates start at (0,0) in the upper-left pixel; x increases rightward and y downward. Alpha is opacity: 255 is fully opaque. RGB means the stored red, green and blue channel numbers, each from 0 to 255. A six-digit hex code writes those same three numbers in base 16, in RRGGBB order.
Purpose: choose a small reference palette for decorative notebook dividers. No divider artwork is requested.
Use these three selected interior points so the example is repeatable:
P1: pale mat, left of cup/book, x=600, y=400.
P2: dark book cover above its title, away from ribbon, x=900, y=550.
P3: warm outer cup ring at its top, x=875, y=220.
These points are editorial color choices. They are not a statistical dominant-color analysis. Do not sample letters, shadows, blended edges, a resized preview or a screen capture. Read one original pixel at each point, with no averaging, resizing, compositing or profile conversion. Hold any non-opaque sample rather than flattening it. The source has no embedded ICC or sRGB profile; report stored values without claiming a calibrated appearance match.

REQUEST
First say whether you can actually read the original file's pixel data. Visual image understanding alone cannot establish exact RGB. If you can read the original pixels, report each ID, region, zero-based x/y, RGB, alpha and six-digit hex, and identify how you read them. If you cannot, say “Exact sampling unavailable” and leave numeric values unfilled; ask me for readings from an existing image editor's single-pixel color picker. Never turn a visual estimate into a measured value.
Once measured values are available, return a copyable three-row color list, separate suggested decorative roles, and a labeled three-swatch sheet. Return an actual file or complete simple SVG source; do not claim that a text description is a saved image. Use only rectangles and text, with no scripts, linked images, remote fonts or other external resources. Include source filename and coordinates. Do not change the source, invent percentages, claim a free tool plan, adopt a brand, test accessibility or claim a print/material match.
02

Check with a color picker, or use it to recover

Open the unchanged PNG in an image editor you already have permission to use. Look for an eyedropper or color-picker tool. It must show original-image x/y coordinates and numeric RGB or six-digit hex, with a way to read opacity; a screen-wide picker or a color name alone is insufficient. Select single-pixel sampling, not an averaged area, and original/raw image values rather than display-converted colors. If these options are unclear, check that editor's help before calling the numbers exact.
Move to each practice point: (600,400), (900,550), (875,220). Read x/y in the editor's coordinate display; zooming may help, but do not resize the file. If the editor counts from 1, its displayed positions are (601,401), (901,551), (876,221); record the zero-based positions in your result. Click once and copy its RGB or hex reading and opacity into a note. The sample points must be fully opaque, shown as alpha 255 or opacity 100%.
Compare your readings with the reply. If the AI could not sample, paste the prompt below with your actual readings; it can organize those values without seeing the image. RGB-only readings can be converted to hex, but check the returned RGB and hex agree by entering the hex back into the same editor's color field. This changes the selected color, not the source image; do not paint or save over the source.
If a value differs, reopen the original, check dimensions, coordinate origin, single-pixel mode and color conversion. Re-sample and ask for a complete corrected list and sheet. Do not average the disagreement or pick the answer that looks nicer. If no available editor exposes original values, coordinates or opacity, leave exact extraction unfinished. You can keep clearly labeled visual color ideas, but they do not complete this measured palette.

Your starting prompt
Use my copied original-pixel readings to finish the palette. Do not describe them as measurements you performed. For RGB-only readings, convert each 0–255 channel to a two-digit hexadecimal pair in RRGGBB order; do not estimate a missing channel. Preserve the source, IDs and coordinates. Ask about missing readings, non-opaque pixels or conflicts before producing a final sheet.

MY PICKER READINGS
Source filename and original dimensions: [copy from the opened original]
Editor and setting used; coordinate display starts at 0 or 1: [state what you checked]
P1, zero-based (600,400), RGB or hex, opacity: [paste actual reading]
P2, zero-based (900,550), RGB or hex, opacity: [paste actual reading]
P3, zero-based (875,220), RGB or hex, opacity: [paste actual reading]

Return a complete three-row list with RGB, alpha and hex, separate proposed decorative roles, and an actual swatch file or complete safe SVG source. Use solid rectangles and labels with source filename and coordinates. No scripts, linked images, remote fonts or external resources. Label checks not yet performed. Do not invent a measurement, render or user approval.
03

Open the swatches and save a checked copy

If the assistant returned a swatch file, download and open the actual file. If it returned SVG text, copy only the complete text from <svg to </svg> into a plain-text editor, save as my-palette.svg rather than .svg.txt, then open it in your existing SVG viewer or image editor. A code reply alone is not an opened swatch sheet. If saving or opening it is unavailable, keep the measured color list and mark the swatch part unfinished.
For each swatch, inspect its solid fill value in your editor or the SVG's fill attribute. It must match the checked list; a matching printed label alone is insufficient. Ensure all three names, coordinates, RGB and hex labels are visible and not cut off. The supplied practice sheet is an answer example to compare after sampling, not the image to sample. Save your list and sheet beside the original under new names. Decide whether the colors suit the intended decorative job. Actual screen/print use and any text contrast need their own later checks.

Your starting prompt
Check the palette list and actual swatch file against the measured source readings already supplied in this chat. Compare every swatch's fill value with its printed RGB/hex and original coordinate; do not infer a fill from its label. Keep source measurements separate from proposed decorative roles. If anything differs, return the complete corrected list and safe sheet. State which file, pixel, source and visual checks you actually performed and which are still pending. Do not claim a consumer tool run, calibrated appearance, physical match or accessibility result from this numeric comparison. If source readings or the file are missing from this chat, ask me to provide them.
04

Use your own image

Start a new chat. Use an original or authorized non-sensitive 8-bit RGB/RGBA PNG for this route. Do not include private personal images or information about minors. Replace every field below and attach that exact file if your assistant supports it. Change the file identity, dimensions, chosen regions, color count and all later checks together; the practice coordinates and colors do not carry over. For another format, bit depth, uncertain orientation or a profile-converting editor, pause and agree a separate sampling method rather than silently converting it.
Expect one row per chosen source point, a labeled sheet and separately proposed roles. If the assistant can only see the image, let it suggest regions without codes, then choose interior pixels yourself in the original and copy their coordinates, RGB/hex and opacity with your editor's single-pixel picker. Paste those actual readings in the same chat and ask for the complete result. If image upload is unavailable, paste your own region descriptions and readings; label the descriptions as yours. Independently re-sample every point, check each swatch fill and inspect the saved file as above. Resolve missing readings or a changed source before finalizing.

Your starting prompt
Make a small reusable reference palette from MY INPUT. Select useful interior source points for my stated purpose and explain the choices. Measure one original pixel per choice only if you can actually read the original file data; otherwise say exact sampling is unavailable, suggest regions without numeric guesses, and ask for my color-picker readings. Do not describe an AI-proposed hex value as measured.

MY INPUT
Original filename/stable source ID and permission to use it: [replace]
Actual attached 8-bit RGB/RGBA PNG, or my descriptions plus independent picker readings: [provide]
Original pixel dimensions and orientation: [replace]
Number of selected colors and intended decorative purpose: [replace]
Preferred and excluded regions: [replace]
Single-pixel coordinates, RGB/hex and opacity already read, if any; name of editor and original-value setting: [replace, or say not yet read]
Known embedded color profile/encoding information: [replace, or say unknown]
Available file-saving and swatch-viewing tool: [replace, or say unavailable]

METHOD
Use zero-based integer coordinates from the original upper-left pixel, x right and y down. Sample single fully opaque original pixels without averaging, resizing, compositing or profile conversion. Hold transparent pixels and ask for a different permitted opaque point. Ask before changing this method or working with an unsupported format, depth or ambiguous orientation. For each chosen point, report source ID, region, x/y, stored RGB, alpha, six-digit RRGGBB hex and who/how measured it. If I supply only RGB or hex, derive the equivalent notation without inventing missing readings. Ask me to check the conversion in the editor.

RESULT
Return the complete measured list, separately labeled suggested decorative roles and actual labeled swatches or complete self-contained rectangle-and-text SVG. Include the source ID and coordinate on each swatch; no scripts, linked images or remote fonts. If no file can be saved or viewed, mark that part unfinished. Require independent re-sampling and comparison of the actual fills with the list. Use no practice colors, coordinates or dimensions. Do not turn subjective selection into a dominant-color or quality claim. Preserve profile limitations; stored values are not a calibrated appearance, print, material or accessibility guarantee. Keep the original unchanged and do not upload to another service, publish or apply this palette to a real design.
Optional: improve the result

Check a nearby point without changing the palette

Optional sample-only extension. Return to the sample chat, or attach the unchanged practice PNG and paste the complete Input and your checked sample answer into a new chat. Keep the original list intact. No extension run by a consumer AI is recorded; use the same independent picker check and leave unavailable readings unresolved.

Advanced prompt
For the original practice file only, separately inspect the 5 × 5 neighborhood centered on each checked sample point: x−2 through x+2 and y−2 through y+2 inclusive. Read all 25 original pixels per neighborhood if available. Report whether all RGBA values equal the center, without replacing the center sample with an average. If you cannot read original pixels, ask for readings instead of claiming uniformity. Explain why a stable patch helps repeat this sample but does not make the three choices statistically dominant or predict a calibrated appearance. Do not change the palette, source or proposed roles.
Show, then try

See the shape of the result.

This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.

The starting point

Synthetic input
ORIGINAL SYNTHETIC PRACTICE INPUT
Actual attached file: crop-source.png. Download the original PNG supplied with this guide, not a screenshot of its preview. It is an owned, code-native illustration of a book and cup, originally rendered from crop-source.svg for the crop-illustration guide. It is not a photograph. Keep the file unchanged.
Original dimensions: 1800 × 1200 pixels, 8-bit RGBA PNG. Coordinates start at (0,0) in the upper-left pixel; x increases rightward and y downward. Alpha is opacity: 255 is fully opaque. RGB means the stored red, green and blue channel numbers, each from 0 to 255. A six-digit hex code writes those same three numbers in base 16, in RRGGBB order.
Purpose: choose a small reference palette for decorative notebook dividers. No divider artwork is requested.
Use these three selected interior points so the example is repeatable:
P1: pale mat, left of cup/book, x=600, y=400.
P2: dark book cover above its title, away from ribbon, x=900, y=550.
P3: warm outer cup ring at its top, x=875, y=220.
These points are editorial color choices. They are not a statistical dominant-color analysis. Do not sample letters, shadows, blended edges, a resized preview or a screen capture. Read one original pixel at each point, with no averaging, resizing, compositing or profile conversion. Hold any non-opaque sample rather than flattening it. The source has no embedded ICC or sRGB profile; report stored values without claiming a calibrated appearance match.

REQUEST
First say whether you can actually read the original file's pixel data. Visual image understanding alone cannot establish exact RGB. If you can read the original pixels, report each ID, region, zero-based x/y, RGB, alpha and six-digit hex, and identify how you read them. If you cannot, say “Exact sampling unavailable” and leave numeric values unfilled; ask me for readings from an existing image editor's single-pixel color picker. Never turn a visual estimate into a measured value.
Once measured values are available, return a copyable three-row color list, separate suggested decorative roles, and a labeled three-swatch sheet. Return an actual file or complete simple SVG source; do not claim that a text description is a saved image. Use only rectangles and text, with no scripts, linked images, remote fonts or other external resources. Include source filename and coordinates. Do not change the source, invent percentages, claim a free tool plan, adopt a brand, test accessibility or claim a print/material match.

Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.

Download source .txt

The intended result

Illustrative output
Illustrative answer authored for this guide, not a recorded consumer-AI reply. The image samples below were actually read locally from the original PNG; the color selection and suggested roles are editorial choices.

SOURCE
crop-source.png, 1800 × 1200, 8-bit RGBA. Original synthetic book-and-cup illustration, rendered from the existing owned crop-source.svg. Coordinates are zero-based from the upper left, x right and y down.

MEASURED STORED PIXELS
P1 | Pale mat | x=600, y=400 | RGB 246, 241, 231 | alpha 255 | #F6F1E7
P2 | Dark book cover | x=900, y=550 | RGB 39, 63, 80 | alpha 255 | #273F50
P3 | Outer cup ring | x=875, y=220 | RGB 210, 122, 87 | alpha 255 | #D27A57
Each point and its surrounding 5 × 5 neighborhood have the same opaque RGBA value in this exact file. The neighborhood was checked for stability; the reported method is still one pixel, not an average.
Copyable palette: #F6F1E7, #273F50, #D27A57.

SUGGESTED ROLES, NOT MEASUREMENTS
P1: a large light decorative area.
P2: a strong dark decorative shape.
P3: a small warm decorative accent.
These are one possible selected palette and use plan. No dominant-color frequencies or objectively best design are established. The three colors are distinct; their eventual proportions and placements need your judgment.

ACTUAL TEACHING FILES
palette-reference-swatches.png is a rendered, labeled sheet. palette-reference-swatches.svg is its editable rectangle-and-text source. palette-reference-notes.md supplies the same data as text and links to the original image. palette-source-samples.json records the source hash, coordinate convention, measurements and limits. The unchanged crop-source.png is supplied separately; its values are the reference, not pixels sampled from this sheet.
The author decoded the source and checked every swatch fill, rendered the SVG with installed Inkscape and opened the actual PNG. Those local checks do not establish a consumer-AI run, the reader's tool access or a beginner usability trial.

LIMITS
No embedded ICC or sRGB profile was found in the original PNG. Stored RGB values and SVG fills are numeric references, not a calibrated display, printer, paint, thread or other material match. No text-contrast, accessibility, physical-print or real-design approval is implied. Use the exact source values only as a starting reference and review the actual application separately. Time savings are unmeasured.
Download result .txt
You’re the final check

Check the worked example.

These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.

Unsaved checks stay in this tab and reset when you reload. If you choose Save guide, its current example checkmarks are kept in this browser when storage is available.

A few things to watch for.

  • Image understanding can suggest a convincing hex code without measuring a single pixel. Keep it labeled an estimate until an independent reading agrees.
  • A screen picker, resized preview, averaged area or color-profile conversion may report different numbers. Resolve the method instead of silently accepting a near match.
  • A swatch label can be correct while its actual fill is wrong. Check both.
  • Transparent pixels have underlying RGB values that may look different when composited. This route holds them rather than choosing a background.
  • A useful digital reference is not a paint/thread match, print proof, dominant-color analysis, brand approval or text-contrast check.

What has been checked?

Documentation
No dated source review recorded.
Included files
Scoped checks passed on 2026-10-14. Fixture checks. See scope below.
AI workflow
Not run in a recorded consumer-AI workflow.
Time savings
Time savings not measured
Read the scope and evidence

palette-reference-swatches.png

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

Actual 1000×760 Inkscape render opened. Swatches, names, RGB/hex, coordinates and notes are visible without observed clipping at the inspected size. Interior pixels independently checked; this is not color calibration or a beginner trial.

  • All 75888 interior swatch pixels equal the three source RGBA values
  • Entire image opaque and dimensions checked
  • Actual final image opened after render

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: f5ac05429f3242bbd17fe01268a4608ae042c5d712f061de54e8ae9a3d0eb449

crop-source.png

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

Unchanged existing 1800×1200, 8-bit RGBA PNG; exact three center pixels and 75 neighborhood pixels checked without color conversion. Actual source opened. No embedded ICC/sRGB profile found.

  • Original source hash and dimensions
  • Three selected source points match their stated visible regions
  • All three alpha values 255; 25 pixels per neighborhood uniform

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: 32f60e60d68abd8eb16233c11132eafda8d31027009240fd6079ac627a83567d

crop-source.svg

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

Existing owned original vector artwork retained byte-for-byte. Its three relevant fill values corroborate the PNG interior samples; PNG remains the measurement authority.

  • Original vector hash preserved
  • Mat, cover and outer-ring fills match the selected PNG samples
  • No claim of a newly generated source

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: ea4ab45e880891b1ffaedcabac175b27116fc951e36a5f229182b13be7503235

palette-reference-swatches.svg

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

Self-contained rectangle-and-text SVG parsed; all three actual fills, boxes, RGB/hex labels and original coordinates checked against independent source constants.

  • Exact three fill values, not label-only checks
  • No scripts, event handlers or linked resources
  • Safe 1000×760 source rendered into an actual PNG

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: 20067b46fd9d2efa6c61d59dc5544a6890b61fcd52391eb47006904e21db0821

palette-reference-notes.md

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

All three numeric rows and declared same-folder source links checked against the exact source/asset binding. Design roles and appearance limits remain separate from numeric measurements.

  • Three expected hex codes and source hash present
  • Five relative links resolve to the supplied or unchanged reused files
  • No consumer, print/material or accessibility result claimed

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: 62a51055d1876957f6c675e3ff3457edea5ebd4c04c16bd8695fa050c96f362e

palette-source-samples.json

2026-10-14 · semantic fixture · passed

Every sample ID, original x/y, RGB, alpha, hex and source hash checked against independent fixture constants and original pixels. Subjective roles explicitly labeled.

  • Complete three-row measurement contract
  • Wrong coordinate, source, channel, hex and opacity mutations rejected
  • No dominant-color analysis or calibrated match claimed

Environment: Author-local Pillow original RGBA reads, Python XML/PNG/JSON assertions and installed Inkscape 1.4 rendering. Actual source and swatch PNGs opened for direct visual inspection. No browser or consumer-AI run.

SHA-256: 51d9691e8814e8a71ef6a5b2b24b9660874bb0359b35da8f094ccc225408e955

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