Choosing Colors

A collection of color-selection tips that can make a noticeable difference in the quality of your finished look.

Base Color

#9fc6d6

70:25:5 Color Scheme

#9fc6d6

Base (70%)

#d3dbde

Sub (25%)

#ff7842

Accent (5%)

Analogous & Complementary

#9fd6ca

Analogous −30°

#9fc6d6

Base

#9fabd6

Analogous +30°

#d6ae9f

Complementary

_MonochromeLighting Simulation

Light Source Color#ffff99

No Setting (= 0)

→

_MonochromeLighting: 0.5

When colored light is applied, this setting suppresses the influence of the light color.

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The 70:25:5 Rule

A widely used ratio for color schemes.

Role	Ratio	Example
Base color	70%	Hair, main outfit color
Sub color	25%	Outfit sub-parts, accent materials
Accent color	5%	Buttons, gems, highlight colors

Accent colors draw the eye precisely because they cover a small area. Reserving bold colors for this role is the most effective approach.

Avoid Pure Colors

Colors with extreme RGB values (such as pure red 255, 0, 0) are heavily affected by VRChat's lighting environment and world post-effects. In bright worlds they tend to saturate and clip; in dark worlds they often appear unnaturally vivid.

Simply lowering the saturation slightly and adjusting the brightness can greatly improve how the color blends in.

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The Three Attributes of Color

Color is made up of three elements: Hue, Saturation, and Value (Brightness). These can be controlled in most paint software and Unity's color picker using HSV/HSL mode.

Attribute	Meaning
Hue	The "what color" — red, blue, green, etc. Represented as a position on the color wheel.
Saturation	The vividness of the color. Higher values approach pure color; lower values approach gray.
Value / Brightness	The lightness of the color. Higher values approach white; lower values approach black.

Choosing Hues

Group by Analogous Colors

Grouping adjacent hues (e.g., blue → blue-violet → violet) creates natural harmony.

This is a forgiving scheme even for beginners. Start with analogous colors, then add a small amount of a complementary color as you gain confidence.

Add Accents with Complementary Colors

Adding a small amount of the opposite color on the color wheel (e.g., orange against blue) draws the eye.

Using a complementary color as the accent is a classic approach. Refer to the "Complementary" field in the palette tool above.

Unify Color Temperature

Mixing warm colors (red, orange, yellow) and cool colors (blue, cyan) makes it harder to create a cohesive impression.

A practical approach is to lean the overall palette toward one temperature and use the opposite as an accent.

Controlling Saturation and Brightness

Match Saturation Levels

A large gap in saturation between the base color and sub color makes individual parts look "detached."

Use the existing textures as a saturation reference and keep additional materials within the same range for a unified look.

Use Brightness Contrast for Definition

Varying brightness within the same hue creates a sense of volume and visual weight.

Simply making the upper body brighter and the lower body slightly darker tightens up the silhouette.

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Account for Lighting When Choosing Colors

3+1 uses _LightMinLimit: 0.05 to maintain a minimum brightness even in dark worlds, and _MonochromeLighting: 0.5 to partially desaturate colored lights.

Deciding on colors based solely on your production environment (a single Directional Light) often leads to unexpected results inside VRChat. It is recommended to check your colors under multiple lighting conditions.

Reference the Original Texture's Color Range

When creating textures for new outfits or accessories, referencing the color range (saturation and brightness levels) of the original SA_CLOTH_A.psd or SA_HAIR_A.psd helps maintain visual consistency.

Sampling a color from the original texture with the eyedropper and deriving new colors from it is the easiest way to achieve a natural blend.

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Areas for Improvement

Situation	How to approach it
Too many colors	Limit hues to 3–4 and create variety through brightness differences
Uniform saturation throughout	Use low saturation for the base and reserve high saturation for the accent only
Overuse of pure colors	Mixing in a little white, black, or gray makes them blend more naturally
Weak contrast	Deliberately creating brightness differences produces a more readable silhouette