Note: as of today, I see this new feature on the Office Insider build (early beta), but not yet on the Monthly Targeted build (enterprise beta) or Standard build (stable, no beta). So you may not have this available in your install just yet.
In the most recent Microsoft 365 Office update there is a new option in the color dialog – HEX colors (yay!).
Select a shape, outline or text and choose MORE FILL COLORS
In the COLORS dialog, under the RGB values is a new option for HEX values.
Is HEX colors important? Yes and no. Anything expands the use of PowerPoint is good (in my opinion). Hex color values are primarily thought of in web design. For me, the addition of adding a Hex color directly in PowerPoint is time saver, because my biggest use is gathering colors from a corporate style guide where the colors are listed in PMS and HEX values.
My summary of RGB vs. Hex:
- RGB sets each color as a value or Red-Green-Blue mixed, set as a number range of 0-255 for each. So a color can be a 3 digit to 9 digit value.
- Hex is a set 6 digit value that based on a grid of 16 million colors. The 6 digit value is made up of both numbers and alpha letters.
Example of a Hex color chart:
Close up of a section of a Hex color chart, showing each color has a 6 digit value
Last note: the Hex color value was just added to PowerPoint desktop this week, but it has been in the PowerPoint for Web app for several months. The web app has a different color dialog (which I like). It prioritized the Hex value and does not include the HSL color option.
Troy @ TLC
