Pikka Studio & Extension Documentation
Complete reference guide to keyboard shortcuts, screen eyedropping workflows, color harmony models, and export formats in Pikka.
1. Screen EyeDropper API Integration
Pikka Web Studio and our Chrome/Edge extension use the native W3C EyeDropper API. This allows sampling pixels from any window, application, or monitor on your operating system without capturing screenshots or transmitting data.
- How to activate: Click the "Sample Color from Screen" button on the homepage studio or click the Pikka icon in your browser toolbar.
- Keyboard Cancel: Press Escape at any time to exit the magnifier loupe without picking a color.
- Retina Displays: Automatically handles 2x subpixel scaling on Apple Retina screens to extract true sRGB and Display P3 coordinates.
2. Supported Color Formats & Conversions
Pikka supports seamless two-way conversion across all major digital design color spaces:
| Format | Syntax Example | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 6-Digit HEX | #3B82F6 |
Standard Web CSS & SVG assets |
| 8-Digit HEX (Alpha) | #3B82F6D9 |
Modern CSS Color Level 4 transparent tokens |
| CSS RGBA | rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.85) |
Legacy CSS stylesheets & Canvas API |
| Modern RGB Slash | rgb(59 130 246 / 85%) |
Tailwind CSS & CSS Custom Properties |
| HSL / HSLA | hsl(217, 91%, 60%) |
Programmatic theme generation & lightness shifts |
| Swift / SwiftUI | Color(red:green:blue:opacity:) |
iOS, iPadOS & macOS native development |
| Flutter ARGB | Color(0xD93B82F6) |
Cross-platform mobile apps |
3. WCAG 2.1 Contrast Testing Standards
Pikka calculates accessibility ratios using the official W3C relative luminance algorithm ($L_1 / L_2$):
- WCAG AA (Normal Text): Minimum contrast ratio of 4.5 : 1.
- WCAG AA (Large Text): Minimum contrast ratio of 3.0 : 1 (18pt / 24px or 14pt bold).
- WCAG AAA (Normal Text): Enhanced contrast ratio of 7.0 : 1.
- WCAG AAA (Large Text): Enhanced contrast ratio of 4.5 : 1.
4. macOS Keyboard Shortcuts & Utility Guide
If you are transitioning from Apple's native utility or older macOS versions:
- Read our comprehensive guide to Digital Color Meter on Mac.
- Explore Pikka for Mac for a comparison of Sip, ColorSlurp, and browser tools.
- Use our free RGBA to HEX Converter for 8-digit transparency calculations.