Cubehelix is an algorithm for generating color palettes with continuous color scales (which can then be converted to grayscale without loosing information). It was first made for scientific visualization (which are very often printed with black and white printers), but I found its parameters and outputs very effective for creative uses as well. So I made a Max version of it, based on this javascript implementation.

I use it when I need to create random yet consistent color palettes. It's super effective to find shades, complementary colors, to create simple 3 colors palettes, as well as complex gradients going through the whole spectrum. It's used on Relief to handle lighting and background colors.

Download Cubehelix for Max!