Why Coolorus Is One of the Best Photoshop Plugins for Artists

 

When it comes to working efficiently in Photoshop, having the right tools in place can make a huge difference. One plugin I keep coming back to, and can’t recommend enough, is Coolorus, a color wheel extension that completely changes the way you interact with color inside Photoshop.

Photoshop’s default color picker works, but it’s not exactly artist-friendly. It’s functional, but not visual. Coolorus brings in the kind of intuitive, painter-focused interface you’d expect from software like Corel Painter or Infinite Painter, making it much easier to explore, select, and manage your color palette.

Here’s why it stands out:

1. A Better Color Wheel

Coolorus uses the HVC color model (Hue, Value, Chroma), which gives you a visual layout that’s more in line with how traditional painters think about color. Instead of hunting through sliders, you can see and feel the relationships between colors instantly.

2. Smart Color Harmony Tools

Coolorus includes built-in color harmony guides, complementary, split-complementary, analogous, triadic, and more. It makes building a balanced palette fast and intuitive, especially during early concept or layout phases.

3. Real-Time Feedback

As you paint, you can easily lock hues, preview temperature shifts, and fine-tune your tones with precision. It’s small adjustments like these that save time and allow for a more controlled color workflow.

4. It Just Fits

Coolorus integrates seamlessly into your Photoshop UI. You can dock it like any other panel, set it up in your custom workspace, and access it instantly. It’s fast, responsive, and doesn’t interrupt your flow.

5. Useful Shortcuts and UI Customization

You can customize how the color wheel looks and behaves, change the layout, toggle RGB sliders, or lock values depending on your preference. The ability to tweak the interface means it adapts to your personal workflow, not the other way around.

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If you work in Photoshop and deal with color daily, whether you’re painting, illustrating, designing, or concepting, Coolorus is absolutely worth having in your toolkit. It’s one of those quiet additions that speeds things up, makes your work more consistent, and lets you focus more on the art and less on the tools.

LINK: https://coolorus.com

Highly recommended.

#Coolorus #PhotoshopPlugin #DigitalPainting #ColorWorkflow #ArtTools #SimonLocheArt