What separates one color declaration from another in terms of performance?

In terms of defining colors in CSS, there are multiple methods that can be utilized:

  • Color name: red
  • Hexadecimal value: #FF0000
  • RGB channels: rgb(255, 0, 0)
  • HSL values: hsl(0, 100%, 50%)

It's worth noting that relying on named colors might not yield consistent results across different browsers.

Without considering alpha channel and browser compatibility, is there a variance in performance among these four color definition methods?

If the goal is to optimize CSS to the fullest extent possible, which method would typically be recommended? Are color values internally converted to a specific format or does performance depend on other factors such as rendering agents or browsers being used?

An in-depth technical answer is preferred, and any references cited would be greatly appreciated.

Answer №1

Displaying the outcomes that include color labels, concise hex values, full hex values, RGB codes, RGBA codes, HSL values, and HSLA values. Feel free to conduct the test yourself by clicking here.

https://i.sstatic.net/kf8hY.png

Answer №2

In a modern browser leveraging the GPU, color representation internally is likely in RGB floats. The fastest options for color representation are hex and channels, with HSB conversion to RGB being the slowest due to requiring about 50 lines of C code for the conversion process.

For CSS purposes, however, the speed of color conversion is irrelevant. Even on slower platforms like mobile devices, manipulating colors at a per-pixel level through multiple conversions has minimal impact. Therefore, choosing the easiest method to code would be sufficient.

Internally, a GPU manipulates colors as an array of floats, simplifying numeric conversions to simple division by 255. On the other hand, converting HSB to RGB requires more operations - approximately 10 to 20 - making it slower. Despite this, the negligible impact of these operations makes the speed difference imperceptible on a modern GPU.

Answer №3

Utilizing the tool found on jsperf.com, I conducted my own experiment to compare various color formats. The test was run across IE11, Edge17, FF64, and Chrome71, with the results compiled neatly into an excel spreadsheet.

The top three performers were highlighted in green, while the bottom three in red, with the best and worst outcomes emphasized in bold.

It is perplexing why Chrome favors named colors format, prompting repeated testing under similar and different conditions which yielded consistent results.

While no single format can be deemed definitively superior, I have personally concluded that hex codes are preferable to named colors, lowercase over uppercase, and short hex codes whenever feasible.

Updates on these findings are welcome as browsers continue to evolve.

Answer №4

When it comes to css optimization, the main goal is to reduce the amount of data transferred over the network. Using hexadecimal colors, like #f00 instead of #ff0000, can help minimize file size.

Although this doesn't directly address your question, there hasn't been any research on how various color representations impact rendering speed in browsers.

Answer №6

Update: In order to convert to a binary value for r, g, and b, each process must follow a certain path. While hex and rgb bytes already have this structure in place, they could potentially operate at the same speed. The remaining values require additional steps to reach a hex/rgb representation.

#FF0000 = memory values: 1111 1111 0000 0000 0000 0000

rgb(255,0,0) = memory values: 1111 1111 0000 0000 0000 0000

In both scenarios, it is likely that these values are stored in 3 integer variables. The key question then becomes which method processes these into binary values faster: HEX or DEC? While I speculate HEX may be quicker, there is no definitive evidence to support this. Regardless, the code simply extracts the binary values from these variables.

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