ColorBlindness Tutorial

This is a simple tutorial to show you how to use the ColorBlindness library.

First, import the library:

import colorblind.ColorBlindness;

Next, the setup method. I am using the default renderer here, but know that this library works with all of them.

In the setup method, create an instance of the ColorBlindness library. The this parameter links the library to the sketch.

void setup() {
  size(500, 500);
  background(255);

  ColorBlindness colorBlindness = new ColorBlindness(this);
  colorBlindness.simulateProtanopia();
}

The above two lines of code are all that is necessary to simulate color blindness. Add those two lines to any setup method and you will simulate Protanopia. The only hard part is remembering how to correctly spell Protanopia.

Note that when you start the sketch there will be a lag of a second or two while the library pre-calculates the color transformations. This is necessary for performance reasons.

To complete the tutorial, add any draw method. Here's a simple draw method that draws random colored squares.

void draw() {
  fill(color(random(255), random(255), random(255), 128));
  stroke(0);
  rect(random(width), random(height), 20, 20);
}

Finally, an optional postDraw method. This is useful if you want to draw something to the sketch after the ColorBlindness library modifies the frame. If you don't need this feature, don't use it.

In this example I am drawing a red border around the edge of the frame so you can see the postDraw method do something. The Protanopia simulation would change this color to something else if this code was moved to the draw method.

void postDraw() {
  fill(255, 0, 0, 255);
  noStroke();
  rect(0, 0, width, 10);
  rect(0, 0, 10, height);
  rect(0, height - 10, width, height);
  rect(width - 10, 0, width, height);
}

That's really all there is to it. Import the library, add two extra lines of code to your setup method to tell it what kind of color blindness you want to simulate, and an optional postDraw method.

Here's the result. Notice the squares are not representing some of the possible random colors.

You can also do complex customizations if you want, including implementing your own ideas about how color blindness simulation should be done. Look at the example code for more information.