color()

Creates a p5.Color object.

By default, the parameters are interpreted as RGB values. Calling color(255, 204, 0) will return a bright yellow color. The way these parameters are interpreted may be changed with the colorMode() function.

The version of color() with one parameter interprets the value one of two ways. If the parameter is a number, it's interpreted as a grayscale value. If the parameter is a string, it's interpreted as a CSS color string.

The version of color() with two parameters interprets the first one as a grayscale value. The second parameter sets the alpha (transparency) value.

The version of color() with three parameters interprets them as RGB, HSB, or HSL colors, depending on the current colorMode().

The version of color() with four parameters interprets them as RGBA, HSBA, or HSLA colors, depending on the current colorMode(). The last parameter sets the alpha (transparency) value.

p5.strands is an experimental mode for writing shader code with p5.js-like syntax instead of GLSL. In p5.strands shader callbacks, color() accepts the same input formats but returns a vec4 instead of a p5.Color object, with RGBA components normalized to the 0–1 range. All colors in strands are RGB-based; colorMode() has no effect inside shader callbacks. Color utility functions such as red(), green(), blue(), alpha(), hue(), saturation(), brightness(), and lightness() also return values in the 0–1 range when used in strands.