How to automatically generate N "distinct" colors?

Question

This questions appears in quite a few SO discussions:

• Algorithm For Generating Unique Colors
• Generate unique colours
• Generate distinctly different RGB colors in graphs
• How to generate n different colors for any natural number n?

Different solutions are proposed, but none are optimal. Luckily, science comes to the rescue

Arbitrary N

• Colour displays for categorical images (free download)
• A WEB SERVICE TO PERSONALISE MAP COLOURING (free download, a webservice solution should be available by next month)
• An Algorithm for the Selection of High-Contrast Color Sets (the authors offer a free C++ implementation)
• High-contrast sets of colors (The first algorithm for the problem)

The last 2 will be free via most university libraries / proxies.

N is finite and relatively small

In this case, one could go for a list solution. A very interesting article in the subject is freely available:

• A Colour Alphabet and the Limits of Colour Coding

There are several color lists to consider:

• Boynton's list of 11 colors that are almost never confused (available in the first paper of the previous section)
• Kelly's 22 colors of maximum contrast (available in the paper above)

I also ran into this Palette by an MIT student. Lastly, The following links may be useful in converting between different color systems / coordinates (some colors in the articles are not specified in RGB, for instance):

• http://chem8.org/uch/space-55036-do-blog-id-5333.html
• https://metacpan.org/pod/Color::Library::Dictionary::NBS_ISCC
• Color Theory: How to convert Munsell HVC to RGB/HSB/HSL

For Kelly's and Boynton's list, I've already made the conversion to RGB (with the exception of white and black, which should be obvious). Some C# code:

public static ReadOnlyCollection<Color> KellysMaxContrastSet
{
    get { return _kellysMaxContrastSet.AsReadOnly(); }
}

private static readonly List<Color> _kellysMaxContrastSet = new List<Color>
{
    UIntToColor(0xFFFFB300), //Vivid Yellow
    UIntToColor(0xFF803E75), //Strong Purple
    UIntToColor(0xFFFF6800), //Vivid Orange
    UIntToColor(0xFFA6BDD7), //Very Light Blue
    UIntToColor(0xFFC10020), //Vivid Red
    UIntToColor(0xFFCEA262), //Grayish Yellow
    UIntToColor(0xFF817066), //Medium Gray

    //The following will not be good for people with defective color vision
    UIntToColor(0xFF007D34), //Vivid Green
    UIntToColor(0xFFF6768E), //Strong Purplish Pink
    UIntToColor(0xFF00538A), //Strong Blue
    UIntToColor(0xFFFF7A5C), //Strong Yellowish Pink
    UIntToColor(0xFF53377A), //Strong Violet
    UIntToColor(0xFFFF8E00), //Vivid Orange Yellow
    UIntToColor(0xFFB32851), //Strong Purplish Red
    UIntToColor(0xFFF4C800), //Vivid Greenish Yellow
    UIntToColor(0xFF7F180D), //Strong Reddish Brown
    UIntToColor(0xFF93AA00), //Vivid Yellowish Green
    UIntToColor(0xFF593315), //Deep Yellowish Brown
    UIntToColor(0xFFF13A13), //Vivid Reddish Orange
    UIntToColor(0xFF232C16), //Dark Olive Green
};

public static ReadOnlyCollection<Color> BoyntonOptimized
{
    get { return _boyntonOptimized.AsReadOnly(); }
}

private static readonly List<Color> _boyntonOptimized = new List<Color>
{
    Color.FromArgb(0, 0, 255),      //Blue
    Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 0),      //Red
    Color.FromArgb(0, 255, 0),      //Green
    Color.FromArgb(255, 255, 0),    //Yellow
    Color.FromArgb(255, 0, 255),    //Magenta
    Color.FromArgb(255, 128, 128),  //Pink
    Color.FromArgb(128, 128, 128),  //Gray
    Color.FromArgb(128, 0, 0),      //Brown
    Color.FromArgb(255, 128, 0),    //Orange
};

static public Color UIntToColor(uint color)
{
    var a = (byte)(color >> 24);
    var r = (byte)(color >> 16);
    var g = (byte)(color >> 8);
    var b = (byte)(color >> 0);
    return Color.FromArgb(a, r, g, b);
}

And here are the RGB values in hex and 8-bit-per-channel representations:

kelly_colors_hex = [
    0xFFB300, # Vivid Yellow
    0x803E75, # Strong Purple
    0xFF6800, # Vivid Orange
    0xA6BDD7, # Very Light Blue
    0xC10020, # Vivid Red
    0xCEA262, # Grayish Yellow
    0x817066, # Medium Gray

    # The following don't work well for people with defective color vision
    0x007D34, # Vivid Green
    0xF6768E, # Strong Purplish Pink
    0x00538A, # Strong Blue
    0xFF7A5C, # Strong Yellowish Pink
    0x53377A, # Strong Violet
    0xFF8E00, # Vivid Orange Yellow
    0xB32851, # Strong Purplish Red
    0xF4C800, # Vivid Greenish Yellow
    0x7F180D, # Strong Reddish Brown
    0x93AA00, # Vivid Yellowish Green
    0x593315, # Deep Yellowish Brown
    0xF13A13, # Vivid Reddish Orange
    0x232C16, # Dark Olive Green
    ]

kelly_colors = dict(vivid_yellow=(255, 179, 0),
                    strong_purple=(128, 62, 117),
                    vivid_orange=(255, 104, 0),
                    very_light_blue=(166, 189, 215),
                    vivid_red=(193, 0, 32),
                    grayish_yellow=(206, 162, 98),
                    medium_gray=(129, 112, 102),

                    # these aren't good for people with defective color vision:
                    vivid_green=(0, 125, 52),
                    strong_purplish_pink=(246, 118, 142),
                    strong_blue=(0, 83, 138),
                    strong_yellowish_pink=(255, 122, 92),
                    strong_violet=(83, 55, 122),
                    vivid_orange_yellow=(255, 142, 0),
                    strong_purplish_red=(179, 40, 81),
                    vivid_greenish_yellow=(244, 200, 0),
                    strong_reddish_brown=(127, 24, 13),
                    vivid_yellowish_green=(147, 170, 0),
                    deep_yellowish_brown=(89, 51, 21),
                    vivid_reddish_orange=(241, 58, 19),
                    dark_olive_green=(35, 44, 22))

For all you Java developers, here are the JavaFX colors:

// Don't forget to import javafx.scene.paint.Color;

private static final Color[] KELLY_COLORS = {
    Color.web("0xFFB300"),    // Vivid Yellow
    Color.web("0x803E75"),    // Strong Purple
    Color.web("0xFF6800"),    // Vivid Orange
    Color.web("0xA6BDD7"),    // Very Light Blue
    Color.web("0xC10020"),    // Vivid Red
    Color.web("0xCEA262"),    // Grayish Yellow
    Color.web("0x817066"),    // Medium Gray

    Color.web("0x007D34"),    // Vivid Green
    Color.web("0xF6768E"),    // Strong Purplish Pink
    Color.web("0x00538A"),    // Strong Blue
    Color.web("0xFF7A5C"),    // Strong Yellowish Pink
    Color.web("0x53377A"),    // Strong Violet
    Color.web("0xFF8E00"),    // Vivid Orange Yellow
    Color.web("0xB32851"),    // Strong Purplish Red
    Color.web("0xF4C800"),    // Vivid Greenish Yellow
    Color.web("0x7F180D"),    // Strong Reddish Brown
    Color.web("0x93AA00"),    // Vivid Yellowish Green
    Color.web("0x593315"),    // Deep Yellowish Brown
    Color.web("0xF13A13"),    // Vivid Reddish Orange
    Color.web("0x232C16"),    // Dark Olive Green
};

the following is the unsorted kelly colors according to the order above.

the following is the sorted kelly colors according to hues (note that some yellows are not very contrasting)

You can use the HSL color model to create your colors.

If all you want is differing hues (likely), and slight variations on lightness or saturation, you can distribute the hues like so:

// assumes hue [0, 360), saturation [0, 100), lightness [0, 100)

for(i = 0; i < 360; i += 360 / num_colors) {
    HSLColor c;
    c.hue = i;
    c.saturation = 90 + randf() * 10;
    c.lightness = 50 + randf() * 10;

    addColor(c);
}

Like Uri Cohen's answer, but is a generator instead. Will start by using colors far apart. Deterministic.

Sample, left colors first:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
from typing import Iterable, Tuple
import colorsys
import itertools
from fractions import Fraction
from pprint import pprint

def zenos_dichotomy() -> Iterable[Fraction]:
    """
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1/2_%2B_1/4_%2B_1/8_%2B_1/16_%2B_%C2%B7_%C2%B7_%C2%B7
    """
    for k in itertools.count():
        yield Fraction(1,2**k)

def fracs() -> Iterable[Fraction]:
    """
    [Fraction(0, 1), Fraction(1, 2), Fraction(1, 4), Fraction(3, 4), Fraction(1, 8), Fraction(3, 8), Fraction(5, 8), Fraction(7, 8), Fraction(1, 16), Fraction(3, 16), ...]
    [0.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.75, 0.125, 0.375, 0.625, 0.875, 0.0625, 0.1875, ...]
    """
    yield Fraction(0)
    for k in zenos_dichotomy():
        i = k.denominator # [1,2,4,8,16,...]
        for j in range(1,i,2):
            yield Fraction(j,i)

# can be used for the v in hsv to map linear values 0..1 to something that looks equidistant
# bias = lambda x: (math.sqrt(x/3)/Fraction(2,3)+Fraction(1,3))/Fraction(6,5)

HSVTuple = Tuple[Fraction, Fraction, Fraction]
RGBTuple = Tuple[float, float, float]

def hue_to_tones(h: Fraction) -> Iterable[HSVTuple]:
    for s in [Fraction(6,10)]: # optionally use range
        for v in [Fraction(8,10),Fraction(5,10)]: # could use range too
            yield (h, s, v) # use bias for v here if you use range

def hsv_to_rgb(x: HSVTuple) -> RGBTuple:
    return colorsys.hsv_to_rgb(*map(float, x))

flatten = itertools.chain.from_iterable

def hsvs() -> Iterable[HSVTuple]:
    return flatten(map(hue_to_tones, fracs()))

def rgbs() -> Iterable[RGBTuple]:
    return map(hsv_to_rgb, hsvs())

def rgb_to_css(x: RGBTuple) -> str:
    uint8tuple = map(lambda y: int(y*255), x)
    return "rgb({},{},{})".format(*uint8tuple)

def css_colors() -> Iterable[str]:
    return map(rgb_to_css, rgbs())

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # sample 100 colors in css format
    sample_colors = list(itertools.islice(css_colors(), 100))
    pprint(sample_colors)

For the sake of generations to come I add here the accepted answer in Python.

import numpy as np
import colorsys

def _get_colors(num_colors):
    colors=[]
    for i in np.arange(0., 360., 360. / num_colors):
        hue = i/360.
        lightness = (50 + np.random.rand() * 10)/100.
        saturation = (90 + np.random.rand() * 10)/100.
        colors.append(colorsys.hls_to_rgb(hue, lightness, saturation))
    return colors

Here's an idea. Imagine an HSV cylinder

Define the upper and lower limits you want for the Brightness and Saturation. This defines a square cross section ring within the space.

Now, scatter N points randomly within this space.

Then apply an iterative repulsion algorithm on them, either for a fixed number of iterations, or until the points stabilise.

Now you should have N points representing N colours that are about as different as possible within the colour space you're interested in.

Hugo