Identify a color with the camera

Updated

ColoredEye opens straight to the camera. The crosshair in the middle of the screen marks the spot being read, and the color card shows what's under it.

Read a color

  1. Open ColoredEye. The first time, iOS asks whether ColoredEye can use the camera: allow it. If you said no earlier, see allow camera access.
  2. Point the crosshair at the object. Until there's a reading, the card says Point the camera at a color.
  3. Read the color card. It shows the color name, and under it the hex and RGB values, for example Teal (Green) over #008080 · 0, 128, 128.

With Announce Colors on, which it is unless you've changed it, ColoredEye also speaks the name.

Keep the device still

  • The card's background follows the camera all the time.
  • The name, the values and the spoken name update every 3 seconds. ColoredEye only speaks when the name changes, so it stays quiet while you hold it on one color.
  • Hold your device very still while you point it. If it moves, the reading can jump between neighboring colors.
  • To read a spot without holding still, freeze the picture and move it under the crosshair instead.

Where to find things on the camera screen

The color card sits just below the top bar, in the middle. On an iPhone held sideways it moves to the top left. At the largest accessibility text sizes it runs the full width of the screen, just above the bottom controls.

The bar along the bottom has three buttons, from left to right:

  • Choose photo, a square button that opens your photo library. See identify colors in a saved photo.
  • The large round shutter button in the middle, which VoiceOver reads as Freeze. It holds the current picture.
  • Flip camera, which switches between the back and front cameras.

The top bar has two buttons on each side:

  • On the left, Camera light and White balance. Both help with the light on what you're reading. See get accurate colors.
  • On the right, Compare colors and, in the corner, Settings (the gear).

On an iPhone held sideways, the bottom bar becomes a column on the right edge of the screen, with the same three buttons from top to bottom.