Release Notes

May 2026

Per-color labels in the palette viewer

Each color in a palette can now have an optional name label. Labels appear above the hex code in each bar and are edited via a new Label field inside the color picker modal.

• Labels are included in the palette URL - e.g. /colors/view/4A90E2~Sky%20Blue-FDBB25
• Old hex-only URLs continue to work without any change
• Labels persist across undo/redo history
• Labels are included in JPG and SVG exports
• Labels are included when you copy the Share URL
• Hyphens and tildes are stripped from label text to keep the URL parser safe

Keyboard shortcuts in the hex field

When the color picker is open, keyboard shortcuts are available in the hex input on the web:

• Up / Down arrow - increments or decrements the hex integer value by 1, clamped to 000000-FFFFFF
• Shift + Up / Shift + Down - steps through the seven preset shade levels at the current hue and saturation

This matches the keyboard behavior in the Vesper Colors Mac app.

Bar action redesign

The icon panel that previously sat below each color bar has been removed. Actions are now accessible in two ways:

• Desktop: hovering a bar reveals move-left, delete, and move-right controls at the vertical midpoint of the bar. Four persistent icons sit directly on the bar below the hex label - copy hex, color profile, shades, and WCAG contrast. The grid switches from four across to a 2x2 arrangement on narrow bars.
• Mobile: tapping a bar opens an action sheet from the bottom of the screen. The sheet contains copy hex, shades, WCAG contrast, move up, move down, color profile, edit color, and delete. Bars show only the hex value and label.

Drag-to-reorder has been removed. Move controls (left/right on desktop, up/down in the mobile sheet) replace it with explicit, accessible buttons.

Color profile enhancements

• Clicking the hero color swatch opens the color picker. Applying a new color navigates to that color's profile.
• Shades, Tints, and Tones are now displayed as rows of 13 clickable color chips. The current color sits at the center chip, marked with a white dot. Clicking any chip navigates to that color's profile.
• Hues and Temperatures remain as gradient strips with a position marker.

April 2026

Palette Viewer and Color Profile - major addition to the Vesper Colors web tool.

Palette Viewer at /colors/view/

A new multi-color palette tool is now available at vesperapps.com/colors/view/. Load a palette by URL (e.g. /colors/view/1d3461-f5d491-a89fcf) or start from the default set and build from there.

• Up to 24 color bars, each filling the viewport height
• Hex label in each bar with adaptive light/dark text based on luminance
• Copy hex and open color profile icons on each bar
• Add and delete colors from the toolbar
• Shades popover: select a shade variant to replace the current color
• WCAG contrast popover: shows contrast ratio and grade against white, #efefef, #333333, and black
• Color blindness simulation for the entire palette (Protanopia, Deuteranopia, Tritanopia, Achromatopsia)
• Export as JPG (3200x1800) or SVG (fully vector, manipulatable in design tools)
• Share button copies the palette URL to the clipboard - URLs update with every change
• Vesper Colors custom HSV picker for editing colors - same picker as the contrast checker
• Keyboard shortcuts: Enter confirms color, Escape dismisses, Cmd+Z / Shift+Z for undo/redo
• Fully responsive - on mobile, bars switch to horizontal rows with a full-width toolbar at the top

Color Profile at /colors/view/[hex]

Click the color profile icon on any palette bar to open a detailed profile for that color in a new tab.

• Color values section: HEX, RGB, HSL, and CMYK with one-click copy for each
• WCAG contrast section: contrast ratio and grade on white and black, with live text-on-color previews
• Color blindness simulation: four split-bar cards showing original versus simulated appearance
• Shades, Tints, Tones, Hues, and Temperatures with a position marker showing where the color falls
• Color Harmonies: Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, and Split-Complementary - click any chip to open that color's profile
• Copy hex and share link buttons in the hero area

Updates to /colors

• Create a palette button - opens the palette viewer with the current foreground and background colors pre-loaded
• Color Details link below each color's values - opens the full color profile for that color in a new tab

v0.1.27 May 2026

• New menu bar icon. The tray icon has been updated to a cleaner, simpler eye mark that sits better alongside other apps in the menu bar.
• Check for Updates. The right-click menu now includes a Check for Updates item. A system notification confirms when you are up to date or if the check fails. The automatic silent check at launch is unchanged.
• Start at Login. A new toggle in the right-click menu lets you set Vesper Colors to launch automatically when you log in to your Mac.

v0.1.26-beta.1 April 2026

• Automatic updates are now active. The app checks for and applies new versions on launch.
• Direct-download DMG is available from the Vesper Colors page.

v1.0.0 May 2026

Four-tab redesign and full web parity for Color Profile and Palette.

New tab structure

The app now has four tabs - Check, Preview, Palette, and Profile - each with a custom icon. The About tab has been removed; product information is available as cards at the bottom of the Check tab.

Palette tab (new)

• Full-screen color palette builder with edge-to-edge color bars that fill the screen and shrink as more colors are added
• Tap any bar to open an action tray: Copy hex, Shades, WCAG contrast, Move up, Move down, Color profile, Edit color, Delete
• Add button opens the color picker to choose a specific color
• Undo, Redo, and Random palette controls in the toolbar
• Share palette button below the bars
• "Create a palette" on the Check tab pre-loads the palette with the current foreground and background pair

Profile tab (new)

• Full web parity with the Color Profile at vesperapps.com/colors/view/[hex]
• Large hero block showing the current color with copy and share icons
• Color values: HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK - all tap to copy
• WCAG contrast: color as text on white and black text on color, with ratio and grade
• Color blindness simulation: Protanopia, Deuteranopia, Tritanopia, Achromatopsia - each tappable to switch to the simulated color
• Shades, Tints, Tones strips - all chips tappable to switch the profile color
• Color harmonies: Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Split-Complementary - all swatches tappable

Check tab updates

• Color details link under foreground and background swatches - navigates to Profile with the correct color loaded
• Create a palette primary button below Share - navigates to Palette pre-seeded with the current pair
• More Vesper tools section replaces the About tab - full product cards for Inspect, Audit, and Guides
• Version badge moved to the bottom of the scroll

App icon

• Updated with rainbow gradient border matching the Vesper Colors Mac app

v0.1.27 April 2026

• Pairings grid rebuilt as two explicit rows of five chips - consistent layout at all screen widths
• Swap button added to the Preview tab pair bar

v0.1.26 April 2026

• Preview tab: swap button added to the pair bar for quick foreground/background reversal without leaving Preview
• Check tab: pairing chips now distribute evenly across the full row width

v0.1.25 April 2026

• All four product wordmarks updated for visual consistency
• About tab: intro paragraph and four-item feature lists added to each product card
• Starter pairings: Storm and Sage added, bringing the total to ten

v0.1.23 and earlier

• Initial development builds - Check tab, Preview tab, color picker, WCAG badges, contrast ratio, text preview, color blindness simulation, starter pairings, Vesper Guides integration, share functionality