# Color reference
Below are details on the different color palettes and scales that Kumu supports. Use these with the [Color by](https://docs.kumu.io/guides/decorate#color-by) tool in the Basic Editor, or use them in the [Advanced Editor](https://docs.kumu.io/guides/decorate#decorate-in-the-advanced-editor) with the `categorize()` and `scale()` functions.
## Named color scales
Kumu has built-in support for a number of named color scales, including all [ColorBrewer](http://bl.ocks.org/mbostock/5577023) scales.
### Sequential and diverging
Both sequential and diverging color palettes are great when you are trying to show quantitative data or data that has a meaningful order.
| |
|---|
| YlGn |  |
| YlGnBu |  |
| GnBu |  |
| BuGn |  |
| PuBuGn |  |
| PuBu |  |
| BuPu |  |
| RdPu |  |
| PuRd |  |
| OrRd |  |
| YlOrRd |  |
| YlOrBr |  |
| Purples |  |
| Blues |  |
| Greens |  |
| Oranges |  |
| Reds |  |
| Greys |  |
| PuOr |  |
| BrBG |  |
| PRGn |  |
| PiYG |  |
| RdBu |  |
| RdGy |  |
| RdYlBu |  |
| Spectral |  |
| RdYlGn |  |
| nautical |  |
| deepsea |  |
| heat |  |
| flamingo |  |
| coffee |  |
| stoplight |  |
### Qualitative
Qualitative color palettes are best when you are trying to show data with discrete values that don't have an inherent order.
| |
|---|
| bujumbra |  |
| neon |  |
| neon2 |  |
| olympic |  |
| Accent |  |
| Dark2 |  |
| Paired |  |
| Pastel1 |  |
| Pastel2 |  |
| Set1 |  |
| Set2 |  |
| Set3 |  |
Here's an example of how to use a named color scale:
```scss
element {
color: scale("net worth", bujumbra);
}
```
## Inverting a color scale
Any color scale can be inverted by adding `-inverted` to the name.
## Defining your own color palette
You can define your own color palette for elements by using a comma separated list of color values.
```scss
@settings {
element-color: categorize("community", #5BC1AE, #009CDB, #F6882B, #8E278F);
}
```
For [flags](https://docs.kumu.io/guides/decorate/flags), the code is slightly different:
```scss
@settings {
element-flag: "Tags" with #5BC1AE, #009CDB, #F6882B, #8E278F;
}
```
## Setting explicit stops for color values in categorize()
It's also possible to specify which value should receive a certain color for elements.
```scss
@settings {
element-color: categorize("element type", #5BC1AE "Person", #009CDB "Organization", #F6882B "Region");
}
```
For [flags](https://docs.kumu.io/guides/decorate/flags), the code is slightly different:
```scss
@settings {
element-flag: "Tags" with #5BC1AE "Person", #009CDB "Organization", #F6882B "Region;
}
```