Over the last year or so, I have been using an app on my smartphone to develop organic, naturally inspired colour palettes sourced from my surroundings. On a recent trip to the Snowy Mountains, I developed a beautiful colour palette based on the varying shades one can find on the Snow-Gum, or the many types of alpine grass and plant life in the area.
One of my favourites was the colour gradient seen in a simple gum tree leaf, the stem being a deep red that shifts to vivid green as the stem joins the leaf. Another striking palette was created by simply pointing my phone at a campfire, resulting in vivid reds, yellows and oranges.
This is all made possible by Capture, an excellent (and free) little app developed by Adobe. The way it functions is simple enough, give it access to your camera, point it at whatever you want be it the sky, your back yard, or your dinner, and it automatically scans and selects some unique colours which can be exported as a custom palette.
I have used these palettes to come up with brand colours, website colour schemes and even to paint the interior of my house. It is an excellent piece of software and everyone I have shared it with has expressed joy and amazement at its capabilities.