---
title: Introduction to Color Programming Topics for Cocoa
framework: cocoa
role: article
path: apple-archive/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/DrawColor
---

# Introduction to Color Programming Topics for Cocoa

Explains how applications specify colors and how users choose colors in Cocoa.

## Organization of This Document

This topic contains the following articles:

- [About Color Spaces](Concepts/AboutColorSpaces.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000758-BBCHACHA) describes what color spaces are and which ones are available in the Application Kit. - [About Color Lists](Concepts/AboutColorLists.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000757-BAJHJEDI) describes what color lists are and how they’re used. - [Working With Color Spaces](Tasks/UsingColorSpaces.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001807-BCIGIEAI) discusses how you can create and convert colors using color-space objects and names and how you can create custom color spaces. - [Accessing a Color’s Components](Tasks/ColorComponents.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000759-BAJBFGED) describes how to retrieve a color’s individual components. - [Accessing System Colors](Tasks/SystemColors.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000790-BAJBFGED) describes how to access colors that are controlled by user preferences. - [Using the System Control Tint](Tasks/SystemTintAware.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20002180-BCIBFAHH) describes how to use the system-wide control tint in your custom views and control cells. - [Choosing Colors With Color Wells and Color Panels](Tasks/ChoosingColors.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000791-BAJBFGED) describes how to let users select colors using color wells and the color panel. - [Choosing the Color Pickers in a Color Panel](Tasks/ChoosingColorPickers.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000792-BAJBFGED) describes how to choose which color pickers are available in the color panel and which one is selected. - [Adding Custom Color Pickers to a Color Panel](Tasks/AddingColorPickers.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000793-BAJBFGED) describes how to add color pickers to the color panel. - [Subclassing NSColor](Tasks/SubclassingNSColor.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000794-BAJBFGED) describes how to create custom subclasses of NSColor. - [Storing NSColor in User Defaults](Tasks/StoringNSColorInDefaults.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20001693-BAJBFGED) describes how to store colors in an application’s user defaults.

[Next](Concepts/AboutColorSpaces.html)

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