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Free colour!

The non-profit association freieFarbe e.V. is an association of German and Swiss colour professionals.
We would like to give tips and hints on how to create consistent colour in all areas of application. Here we rely on open standards that have long been integrated in the computer and want to show: the computer is an ideal tool for colour, it can make colour free!

What is the problem?
At the moment, professional work with colour relies on commercial colour collections and colour books. Different colour samples are used for printing than for paint, wall cladding, film or textiles. Every manufacturer cooks its own soup. Hundreds of colour systems are barely compatible with each other and are not predictable in themselves. The result is manual colour and system comparisons and cumbersome colour matching „by eye“ - every time anew.

We would like to show alternatives to this equally common and old-fashioned way of working. We see the future in freely available mathematical colour models such as CIELAB or RGB. The advantages of free colour are huge and the perspectives incredible.

• • Article about the need for free colour, our goals and projects (Budget Calculator Special 2018/2019, 4 MB, 11 pages)

Who is with freieFarbe?

Each of us also has our own reasons - see for yourself:

Membership, donation

Become part of the colour revolution and benefit from a network of experienced colour users. The annual fee is 50 EUR, pupils and students pay half. Partner members (200 EUR per year or active co-operation) also receive an individual page under „Partner“.

As we take our non-profit status very seriously, we work on a voluntary basis. Costs for materials, providing, printing, trips, etc. are paid from membership fees.

New members receive a CIELAB colour fan worth EUR 39 as a welcome gift. New partner members receive a CIELAB colour fan set Lab+HLC worth EUR 69.

• Statutes
• Donation
• Membership application

You are welcome to participate in this website even without membership: Post your own articles, send us suitable downloads, give us your own tips.

Now available: HLC Colour Atlas XL

We see the new HLC Colour Atlas as a basis for all stages of professional colour communication - from design to the finished product. The standard version contains 2040 and the XL version contains over 13000 mathematically-systematically graded CIELAB colour tones.
The free file package contains the PDF version with several gamuts for own printouts of the atlas as well as the spectral data (380-730 nm) of all shades for recipe software.


The print version supplied in the ring binder is produced as an inkjet proof print using state-of-the-art equipment - the print has a colour accuracy that would not have been possible just a few years ago (average DeltaE00 < 0.5), it is comparable to the far more complex varnish printing process.
The price is 149 euros for the standard edition and the introductory price of the XL edition is 399 euros net. Our association members receive a 20% discount.

• Further information
• Files for free download
• Order the printed HLC Colour Atlas or of the HLC Colour Atlas XL

DIN SPEC 16699

Professional colour communication does not necessarily have to take place via commercial colour collections. In DIN SPEC 16699 „Open Colour Communication“, we describe procedures using the freely available mathematical CIELAB HLC standard, from the design phase to colour formulation using spectral data.

DIN SPEC 16699 was officially published in November 2018. The project was commissioned and financially supported by the German Institute for Standardisation.

In this context, we have also joined DIN as a member.

Free download of DIN SPEC 16699
Detailed article

Open Colour Systems Collection

Bring more than 360 colour systems into your design software or programming project. Now with all colour palettes for Adobe CC, Scribus, LibreOffice, Gimp, Lab and RGB colour values in plain text and photos of the colour swatches. Everything can be copied free of charge and distributed under the CC4.0 licence.
Here you can download the OCSC 2.0.

Free Colour Videos

Why does colour have to become freer?
Jürgen Opitz, Holger Everding and Reinhard Zerfaß summarise the basic goals:

Holger Everding and Jan-Peter Homann report on the meaningfulness of free colour and our implementation in the HLC Atlas at the Libre Graphics Meeting 2019:

Peter Jäger reports on our goals and current projects, and why we are You need for this:

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Free Colour!

Founded in 2016 by a coalition of German and Swiss colour professionals, freieFarbe e.V. is a non-profit association registered in Germany. We want to share tips and hints how to create consistent colour in all fields of application and how the world of colour could be easier. And we want to show: the computer is an ideal tool for colour, it can make colour free!

At the moment, when working with colour, people rely on commercial colour collections that are internally incalculable and hardly compatible with each other. We would like to point out alternatives. Better colour models are available in every computer! Free colour is not only well possible, but also beneficial for all involved parties. If free, non-commercial colour becomes established, this is a revolution in the colour sector - colour would be much cheaper, much easier to use, much more predictable. However, this requires new tools and a lot of persuasion ...

On this website you will find a blog where you can post your own articles. Show interesting examples from your field of application, give your own tips.

Out now: HLC Colour Atlas XL edition

Our own development is now available in 2040 and 13283 colours (standard and XL version). We see the innovative HLC Colour Atlas as the basis for all stages of professional colour communication - from design to the finished product. It follows the DIN SPEC 16699.

The free file package contains the PDF version with several gamuts for on-screen comparison or your own printouts plus the 380-730 nm spectral data of all colours for commercial ink formulation.

The ring binder is produced with state-of-the-art inkjet proofing equipment in a company specialised in this field - the prints have a colour accuracy that would not have been possible a few years ago (average DeltaE00 < 0.5); it is comparable to the far more complex lacquer printing process.

The price is EUR 149 for the standard edition, and the introductory price for the XL edition amounts to EUR 399 (plus shipping and VAT).

• Further Information
• Files for free download
• Order the printed HLC Colour Atlas

Creation of a DIN specification

The German Institute for Standardization, DIN e.V., awarded us a research and development contract for the preparation of the DIN SPEC 16699 "Open Colour Communication which has been published in November 2018. This project was financially supported by DIN.

In this context, we have also joined DIN e.V. as a member.

Open Colour Systems Collection

Bring more than 360 colour systems into your design software or into your programming project. Now with all colour palettes for Adobe CC, Scribus, LibreOffice, Gimp; Lab and RGB colour values in plain text, and photos of the colour fans. Everything can be copied free and passed on under the CC4.0 licence.

You can download the OCSC 2.0 here.

 

Membership and donation

Become a member, join the colour revolution, and profit from our network of experienced colour users. The annual fee is 50 EUR; for students, it is half that amount. Plus, you get a CIELAB fan (HLC) worth 39 EUR as a welcome gift. Premium members (200 EUR per year or active cooperation) also get an individual partner page to present themselves on freiefarbe.de.

You can also support our work with a donation. The easiest way is by PayPal, where you instantly get a donation receipt.

• membership form (in German)
• donation
• association articles (in German)

Videos about free colour

Why must colour be liberated?
Jürgen Opitz, Holger Everding and Reinhard Zerfaß summarise the fundamental goals:

Peter Jäger reports about our goals and current projects, and why we need you for this:

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