Well, whatever looks nice to you.
This is mainly for web design, but it might help you out a little if you plug in hex codes and see what you can start with.
http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwheel.asp
I actually find that 3 colors might be too much for a simple outfit. 2 is good, and almost anything still goes with black or white no matter how much people complain about it being overused.
Avoid directly opposing colors, try using 3 shades of the same color, or 3 colors that on our chart are vertically aligned. Since we have a limited color pallette it's not SO bad, if we had "millions" of colors imagine the issues 
(lol edit to add, since I noticed now you already DO the three shades...)
Try looking at "seasonal" colors - autumn is brown, red, orange, yellow. Winter is white, blue, green, red. Holidays and other festive ideas (gift wrap) can inspire you.
Please read my FEAR/Portal/HalfLife Fan Fiction!
Repurposed
Talking about color, you're basically talking about value (light and dark) and hue (which is the actual color component--red, yellow, blue, etc.). Another thing to consider is saturation, which is how much color is being applied. Saturated colors look intense, desaturated ones look washed out--weak or more subtle.
Designing a character, you want it to read. You want to lead the viewers eye and not have the different elements be confusing. The natural response for many people is to simplify the design so there is less to work with. That's why you end up with so many characters that are variations of one color or a color plus black or white. Particularly using one tone plus black is popular because you just have to worry about one color and value. But it IS way overused and should be avoided if you want a character that is going to stand out.
You absolutely should learn to use opposing colors. The way not to use opposing colors is to have them spread equally over the area of a costume (like the random generator would do). Decide what color is the primary one and then use the opposing color to make significant elements pop. A plant character may be mid range green, with a greenish-yellow as a secondary tone, and then bright red or orange for the eyes, spikes, fingertips...whatever needs to pop and be threatening.
The effect can be more subtle as well. Imagine a bright yellow outfit with dark tights. Instead of making the tights black, you could try a dark, desaturated purple. The opposition of the colors, as well as the values, creates a different kind of tension than just yellow versus black.
I generally use at least 3 colors in my designs, sometimes 5-6 with variations in the dominant tones, but it all boils down to what you're trying to achieve and YMMV.
Blacklisted
"I'AM SATANS FAVORITE CHILD!!"
I really can't recall where I read it, nor can I find it again, but there's a rule of thumb that I learned about a while back. The most popular iconic characters generally have two major complimentary or contrasting colors, one of which is generally a primary color, and a 'metal' to represent their epic heroism. Metal, in this case means anything in the range from white to black, silver, bronze, brass or gold (sometimes yellow). Supes is Red and Blue with Gold, Spidey is Red and Blue with Black. Batman is Blue and Yellow with Black/Grey, Cap is Red and Blue with White.
Sometimes you can get outfits that are two metals and a color instead. Like GreenLantern is Black and White with Green, Fantastic Four are Black and White with Blue, Doctor Doom is Silver, Gold and Green.
I follow this general rule when I make my outfits, since it's much easier to balance two colors against each other in your head, as opposed to the more advanced method of finding three colors that work together. It's possible to get four colors with the manner, if you can balance out three non-clashing colors with a fourth metal. Generally, that being a shade in the region between White to Black.
Also, pay attention to saturation. Colors that are contrasting will 'vibrate' when put near each other, when they are too saturate and bold. Make one color darker or duller, with the second color as a brighter highlight. Once you add in the third metal, the outfit should mesh together well, having a firm base, a noticeable color for pattern and a metal for detail work. The game world of CoX isn't bright and colorful. It's cast in a lot of earthy tones and subdued colors, so an outfit that's abusing the brightest of neons is going to be an eyesore unless it's treated well. A dark broody character that chooses the deepest black is going to become a supernatural shadow, instead of someone that likes the dark look. It won't match the world tones, so instead of blending in, you'll stick out.
Take the signature characters in CoX. Statesman isn't bright red and blue. He's a deep blood red and navy blue, with silver for his metal details and brown for his belt, with a white highlight to show off his star symbol. Positron is Brass with Blue details and a Green for his visor highlight. His powers are typically green as well, which is important to take into account when designing a character. Synapse is purposely a vibrating Red and Blue to indicate his wild speed and chaotic personality, but even Syn has silver armor padding with an Aqua visor detail and White symbol patterning.
Generally speaking, it's harder to come up with an outfit that has multiple colors in it, but it's well worth the effort. There's a clear difference between a basic two color outfit and a well crafted 3-5 color outfit. It will stand out well in the open and stick in the minds of people who view it. Don't be afraid to use offbeat colors. Purple and Gold go great together, as do Green and Orange. The key is to use such colors in subtle tones that way they don't vibrate against each other. In a sea of 'Blue and White' or 'Red and Black,' your offbeat Green and Purple will stand out and draw attention. Once you have that attention, your costume choices will determine if people like it and compliment you, or turn away in disgust.
You don't have to be Mr. Black to have a good costume. There's a whole rainbow of choices for you to explore.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
http://kuler.adobe.com/
Look at the color combinations. They're a great source of inspiration when designing. Everyone else already gave some nice advice.
Well the costume I was suffering over that sparked this thread came out like this:
Precognitive Kinesthetic
And while I'm at it I wanted to make a good looking costume for my other character:
Echo Ex Machina
Re: Precognitive Kinesthetic
As first glance I'd go with a deeper purple to make the pale gold pop out more. I might soften a bit more with touches of dark rose or crimson.
Re: Echo
You're using brights a lot on both characters..but here you have two very bright colors that are distracting to the eye. Tone down your greens and purples.
Here's she looks like with darker greens and purples
ya know I totally didn't realize they both have the same belt.
I like the contrast between the dark green and the light green of the leaves and hair.
Use a colour wheel and remember these natural rules:
If using 2 colours then use opposites.
If using 3 colours then follow a triangular shape.
See: http://benwaller.blogspot.com/2007/1...ow-colour.html
Notice it is used in pretty much every comic book character ever used. Superman is red, blue and yellow - triangle on the colour wheel. Also, most colours go well with black, everything matches black .
Yeah definitely darker, darken down those brights on both those costumes and they'll look better.
Please read my FEAR/Portal/HalfLife Fan Fiction!
Repurposed
[ QUOTE ]
ya know I totally didn't realize they both have the same belt.
I like the contrast between the dark green and the light green of the leaves and hair.
[/ QUOTE ]
Then make the shoulder leaves brighter green (I'd say move it down left of that ultra bright green) like the hair but the chest and bottoms should be darker. The leaves don't stand out against the bright green top, they get lost in that nearly ultra bright green.
I'll try and do another sample of your other alt shortly. I'll use the pieces you used and show you how to use a 3rd color in your combination.
EDIT:
Here's Precognitive Kinesthetic
#1 Darker Colors I purples that were a shade darker. Also included 3rd color of wheat on the belt and gloves (you might have had this color on the gloves but I couldn't really tell for sure). I also gave her a mask that had rounded edges instead of the sharp cuts to go with her peaceful face.
#2 Monochromatic. I used only the colors in the yellowish-orange row or golden row. Except for her hair
As far as costume design, I don't know what your concept is but I would suggest changing those gloves to the wrapped version [[Found in: Gloves :: Smooth/Bare :: Wrapped ]]
instead which is less bulky looking than the Full Wrapped ones.
[ QUOTE ]
In a sea of 'Blue and White' or 'Red and Black,' your offbeat Green and Purple will stand out and draw attention.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hey, don't knock us Blue 'n Whiters. When used right, it can be quite attention grabbing. :P
The brass/gold color in your costume is what makes it stand out. Not the blue and white combination. Blue and white is certainly pleasing to eye, but it's in no way unique when it comes to this game and it's players. It's the combination of multiple colors that really draws the eye in.
Although the outfit is a little complex in pattern, so your eye doesn't know where to follow the costume, and in the process you lose the human silhouette. Clearer definition between the arms and torso would help that. Details are nice, but too many is as bad as too few, sometimes more.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
You can get away with a tri-colored outfit.
The trick is to keep it simple and find that synergy between the colors and utilizing the different outfit lines to contrast an inner and outer look to the outfit.
Comrade Hero's outfit is red and green with black boots, gloves and a face mask (although I don't mind it being painted green). With a yellow chest symbol and brown and silver belt thrown in to boot. Theme: Red and Yellow a throwback to the Soviet Union, Green and Black a recognition of his military background.
Graviton Girl's outfit by contrast is red and blue, with white used for her books, belt and gloves. Theme: Red, White and Blue. The American Patriot.
By contrast my villain Rack doesn't stray from colors traditionally associated with darkness and evil - black and red. The two colors are strong, intimidating and contrast with his pale, zombie-like skin. Again the trick is to keep it simple and maximize the synergy between the colors. Theme: An Avatar of Chaos, Red and Black, but organized, stylish and deceptively simple. Pale skin, dark uniform.
If you google for "Color Theory" you'll find a wealth of info out there about how colors work together. For the most part, the CoX color picker can be thought of as a color wheel that's been cut apart and laid out as a strip instead of a circle. If you imagine "fanning" the picker and pasting the top and bottom back together, you can see how you can use it the same way you'd use a color wheel.
Color Theory Explained
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ya know I totally didn't realize they both have the same belt.
I like the contrast between the dark green and the light green of the leaves and hair.
[/ QUOTE ]
Then make the shoulder leaves brighter green (I'd say move it down left of that ultra bright green) like the hair but the chest and bottoms should be darker. The leaves don't stand out against the bright green top, they get lost in that nearly ultra bright green.
I'll try and do another sample of your other alt shortly. I'll use the pieces you used and show you how to use a 3rd color in your combination.
EDIT:
Here's Precognitive Kinesthetic
#1 Darker Colors I purples that were a shade darker. Also included 3rd color of wheat on the belt and gloves (you might have had this color on the gloves but I couldn't really tell for sure). I also gave her a mask that had rounded edges instead of the sharp cuts to go with her peaceful face.
#2 Monochromatic. I used only the colors in the yellowish-orange row or golden row. Except for her hair
As far as costume design, I don't know what your concept is but I would suggest changing those gloves to the wrapped version [[Found in: Gloves :: Smooth/Bare :: Wrapped ]]
instead which is less bulky looking than the Full Wrapped ones.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think slender wrapped gloves would look better. I was going with, she can't really feel anything in her hands and I thought that the wrapped gloves would illustrate that. That's why I made her mask a darker shade of the primary to illustarte her blindness. Don't want to add too many things like items to illustrate her dumb and deafness.
O.o I'm not sure but I think wheat is a shade of gold :P. I was trying to add black as my third color. Also the color selection was completely arbitrary, I'm not married to the combo, but I am likeing the earthy tones and feminin compliments. The costume design is kinda arbitrary too, that's why I was looking for some good color design since making good costumes doesn't come naturally to me.
I usually try to avoid monochromatic (My mains are nine shades of monochrome), but that one doesn't seem so bad.
And, did you hack into my game?, or is it that easy to figure out my costume :P.
Ahh okay then I'll try some variations on colors with maybe some minor adjustments to your costume.
And yes it is that easy to figure out your costume, but also I only make female characters so I know all the bits and pieces they have.
I'll edit this post with another version in a few color combinations. (I like the gold on her though)
Well I got through one before RL came a knocking
Crimson, Gold, White and a tiny dab of Gray.
I was kinda just pickin' I think you did a great job, and I did go with the monochrome one.
I signed her onto freedom and when I was stanging around in AP a person ran a costume contest and I won! (granted I believe my bio helped me win)
I also think the name change helped, I was feeling Precognative Kinesthetics was kinda a mouth full for a hero name. So, Patience Kincade is the happy owner of 7mil influence. Now I have to find a way to buy some amulets at Yin's market, nothing like SO's at lvl 7.
[ QUOTE ]
Crimson, Gold, White and a tiny dab of Gray.
[/ QUOTE ]
While that color palette works for the costume itself, it clashes with the color of her hair. Taking the hair into account as well as skin tone is something that's overlooked a lot, but pretty important IMO.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
It's a warm costume color tone, her hair could be toned down from the brighter orange shade (which has more cool/blueish, undertones, for one with a reddish undertone), but it's not really clashing, it just makes the orange stand out more
It's good that the game gives so many variations on skin tone. The browns to vanilla range is great especially the various undertones of the colors. I usually stick with the middle row, I believe that one is has more of a yellowish tone than the other two rows.
[ QUOTE ]
I was kinda just pickin' I think you did a great job, and I did go with the monochrome one.
I signed her onto freedom and when I was stanging around in AP a person ran a costume contest and I won! (granted I believe my bio helped me win)
I also think the name change helped, I was feeling Precognative Kinesthetics was kinda a mouth full for a hero name. So, Patience Kincade is the happy owner of 7mil influence. Now I have to find a way to buy some amulets at Yin's market, nothing like SO's at lvl 7.
[/ QUOTE ]
No worries I was just having fun with your alt's outfit, I hope you have fun with the colors!
I always want to make a good costume, and one of the things I'm never sure about are what makes good color combinations?
I've heard that three colors help make a costume stand out, but what kind of colors look good together?
Right now the best I can do is three shades of the same color.