An Archive of Colour Gradients
Recorded: Sept. 17, 2026, 1:09 p.m.
| Original | Summarized |
cpt-city cpt-city cpt-city An archive of colour gradients Rain in the eastern Caribbean using a scheme by Detail of aeromagnetic image of the Yilgarn region in Western
Schemes from Nicholas Rougeux’s
A map of Kimberley, North West Australia, using a
The Moon’s Mare Tranquillitatas, landing site for A map of Colombia using the
For cartography, technical illustration and design. The archive Schemes from the GRID-Arendal map & graphics library Complete sets of gradient files are also available for Selections from the archive The most popular downloads For topography For topography & bathymetry For temperature For precipitation Various For diverging data With transparency Of discordance Notes The faq, answers to frequently asked The news on recent changes to The formats supported Selected general and Copyright information Notes for contributors A big thank you to everyone who The source for this site is available on Admin log-in. Copyright © 2026 J.J. Green. All rights reserved. |
This archive serves as a comprehensive repository of color gradients, schemes, and maps primarily intended for applications in cartography, technical illustration, and design. The collection is organized by author, facilitating access to diverse aesthetic and scientific color representations. The archive encompasses a wide spectrum of applications, ranging from artistic gradients to highly specific scientific scales used in geospatial, astronomical, and meteorological visualization. The content includes schemes derived from various sources, such as the GRID-Arendal map and graphics library, as well as specific palettes curated by individuals like Blackheartedwolf, Cynthia Brewer, and Kristen M. Thyng. Specific works referenced include the cividis map by Nuñez, Anderton, and Renslow, and various scales for obesity, such as those from CalorieLab, and palettes from the cmocean series. For astronomical visualization, the archive contains specific schemes, including those from Nicholas Rougeux's recreation of Mose Harris' colour wheels, DS9 colour scales for astronomical visualization, and the IBCAO and IBCSO schemes for Arctic and Southern Ocean bathymetry. Furthermore, specific astronomical imagery is referenced, such as Paul Naylor’s map of the Moon’s Mare Tranquillitatas and ImageJ lookup tables for astronomy. Geospatial data visualization is heavily represented, featuring maps of regions such as Kimberley, North West Australia, using USGS schemes, and a map of Colombia employing the Shadowxfox scheme. The archive also includes elevation scales, such as the Ordnance Survey 1:250,000 elevation scale and the NGDC’s global relief palette for ETOPO1. Other thematic layers include selections from the European Soil Database Legends, ESRI colour ramps, and colour maps from Fractint and NCL. The collection features diverse methods for generating visual data, including tonal samples by Eric R. Jeschke, divergence colour-maps by Kenneth Moreland, and perceptual uniform colour-maps for Matplotlib. Specific schemes exist for geological time, such as those by Christian Heine, and those for atmospheric representation, including meteorological schemes from the UK Met Office and elevation schemes from the USGS and R. L. Langford. The collection also features specialized schemes for specific physical measurements and data types, including seismic amplitude schemes by Gery, DEM palettes from drawmap by Fred M. Erickson, and specialized schemes for bathymetry, such as those by M. Burak Yikilmaz. There are specialized colour tables from bodies like NASA’s OceanColor site, and specific arctic palettes, such as Nord’s arctic, north-bluish colour palettes. A notable theme within the archive is the inclusion of gradients, which are present in formats ranging from subtle gradients by Crumblingwalls to dynamic palettes from Loadboy’s gradients. Various creative and specialized gradients are included, such as Dave Green’s cubehelix for astronomical intensity images, the 12-bit rainbow by Kate Morley, and pixel-art gradients by Neota. The archive also provides specific formats like diverging data, transparencies, and options for handling discordance. In summary, the archive functions as an extensive resource spanning art, geography, geology, astronomy, and meteorology, offering a vast selection of scientifically and aesthetically driven color schemes and gradients applicable across technical illustration and data visualization fields. |