FOSSPicks
Color editor
pastel
Keeping within the territory of doing one simple job well, especially on the command line, pastel
is a tool that helps you work with colors. You type pastel color red
, for example, and a swatch of perfectly rendered color is dropped into your command buffer, complete with checkered background for contrast, Hex, RGB, and HSL values, and a few close color suggestions. Until you start to play with it, you don't realize that there's nothing simple about working with colors. For instance, pastel
needs to parse and output the plethora of color formats, ranges, and color spaces that most of us would rather leave to Photoshop's small print. These include RGB (sRGB), HSL, CIELAB, and CIELCh alongside ANSI with both 8-bit and 24-bit output. However, what it can do with them is quite magical.
Taking the previous example, you can pipe the output from pastel color red
into a new pastel
command with the mix
argument, such as pastel mix -- blue
. This will generate a swatch of the mixed color, complete with similar color names. You can use the format
argument to convert one color format to another, show raw colors from their numeric input, list all CSS color names, or even generate any number of colors from which to choose. If you can't find what you're looking for, you can also use pastel
to pick a color from your screen and take that as the input of the command. All of this is incredibly useful if you're generating colors for print or for CSS. You can even use pastel
in your own scripts to generate color output instead of the incredibly arcane methods used by most terminals by default.
Project Website
https://github.com/sharkdp/pastel
Data-centric shell
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.