Color Decoder, which runs exclusively on Mac OS 10.5 Leopard, identifies colors and areas of color on the computer’s screen. Though primarily intended for those lacking normal color vision, Color Decoder can help anyone analyze color usage on charts, maps, radar and other images.

Color Decoder is extraordinarily simple in operation. You continue to use the computer normally. Mouse clicks work as expected and applications still update the screen normally. Color Decoder works in realtime on the entire screen with no frame to position or mode to select. It watches the color underneath the mouse pointer, displays the color's name near the mouse pointer, optionally speaks its name using speech synthesis, and flashes areas where the same color appears on the screen. Color Decoder can also display a magnified image of the pixels near the mouse pointer so the user can see and control exactly which pixel's color it decodes.

Color Decoder works system-wide and is effective for nearly all Mac OS X applications from web browsers to spreadsheets yet requires no special privileges, has no hidden processes, and does not inject code into any other application.