Customize Colors in Jetpack Compose Material 3 Easily

Jetpack Compose is a modern, declarative UI toolkit that has transformed Android development. With Material 3 (also known as Material You), developers can create stunning UIs with a focus on dynamic color theming, accessibility, and user personalization. Customizing colors in Material 3 is a key feature that allows apps to reflect brand identity while maintaining user-friendly design principles. In this post, we’ll dive into advanced techniques and best practices for customizing colors in Jetpack Compose Material 3.

Why Material 3 Colors Matter in Modern UI Design

Material 3 introduces dynamic color theming, enabling applications to adopt colors derived from the user’s wallpaper or system-wide themes. This feature enhances user experience by creating a seamless visual identity across apps and the operating system. Customizing Material 3 colors empowers developers to:

Maintain brand consistency.
Improve accessibility by adhering to contrast guidelines.
Enable light and dark theme support effortlessly.
Adapt to dynamic system colors while preserving key app elements.

Understanding the Material 3 Color System

The Material 3 color system revolves around color schemes and color roles:

Color Schemes: Predefined sets of colors like primary, secondary, background, and surface.
Color Roles: Specific purposes for each color, such as primary container or on-secondary.

Key Components of a Color Scheme

Primary Color: Represents the main UI elements, like the app bar.
Secondary Color: Used for accent elements, like floating action buttons.
Tertiary Color: Optional, for additional accents.
Surface Colors: Backgrounds for surfaces like dialogs and cards.
On- Colors:* Ensure text and icons have sufficient contrast against their background.

Setting Up Material 3 in Jetpack Compose

To use Material 3 in Jetpack Compose, include the necessary dependencies in your build.gradle:

dependencies {
    implementation("androidx.compose.material3:material3:<latest_version>")
}

Then, wrap your app’s UI in the MaterialTheme composable:

@Composable
fun MyApp() {
    MaterialTheme(
        colorScheme = lightColorScheme(),
        typography = Typography,
        content = { MainScreen() }
    )
}

The colorScheme parameter defines your app’s color palette. Let’s explore how to customize this palette.

Customizing Colors in Material 3

Defining Custom Color Schemes

Material 3 provides default color schemes, but you can define custom schemes using lightColorScheme and darkColorScheme functions:

val customLightColors = lightColorScheme(
    primary = Color(0xFF6200EE),
    onPrimary = Color.White,
    secondary = Color(0xFF03DAC6),
    onSecondary = Color.Black,
    background = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
    onBackground = Color.Black,
    surface = Color(0xFFFFFFFF),
    onSurface = Color.Black
)

val customDarkColors = darkColorScheme(
    primary = Color(0xFFBB86FC),
    onPrimary = Color.Black,
    secondary = Color(0xFF03DAC6),
    onSecondary = Color.Black,
    background = Color(0xFF121212),
    onBackground = Color.White,
    surface = Color(0xFF121212),
    onSurface = Color.White
)

You can then pass these schemes to the MaterialTheme composable:

MaterialTheme(
    colorScheme = if (isSystemInDarkTheme()) customDarkColors else customLightColors,
    typography = Typography,
    content = { MainScreen() }
)

Dynamic Color Support

To leverage Material 3’s dynamic color capabilities, use the dynamicLightColorScheme and dynamicDarkColorScheme functions:

val dynamicColors = if (isSystemInDarkTheme()) {
    dynamicDarkColorScheme(context)
} else {
    dynamicLightColorScheme(context)
}

MaterialTheme(
    colorScheme = dynamicColors,
    typography = Typography,
    content = { MainScreen() }
)

This setup ensures that your app adopts the user’s system-defined color palette while still allowing customization.

Best Practices for Color Customization

Ensure Accessibility: Use tools like Contrast Checker to validate that your color combinations meet WCAG guidelines.
Respect Dynamic Colors: Let the system provide a base palette and override only when necessary.
Test Across Themes: Always verify your app in both light and dark modes to ensure consistency.

Reuse Colors: Define colors in a centralized file to promote maintainability:

object AppColors {
    val Primary = Color(0xFF6200EE)
    val Secondary = Color(0xFF03DAC6)
}

Leverage Previews: Use @Preview annotations to visualize how colors render in different themes:

@Preview(showBackground = true)
@Composable
fun LightPreview() {
    MyApp(colorScheme = customLightColors)
}

@Preview(showBackground = true, uiMode = Configuration.UI_MODE_NIGHT_YES)
@Composable
fun DarkPreview() {
    MyApp(colorScheme = customDarkColors)
}

Advanced Use Cases

Customizing Specific Components

You can customize colors for individual components using the LocalContentColor and LocalContentAlpha composables:

Box(
    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
    contentAlignment = Alignment.Center
) {
    CompositionLocalProvider(LocalContentColor provides MaterialTheme.colorScheme.secondary) {
        Text("Custom Secondary Text")
    }
}

Runtime Theme Switching

Allow users to toggle between light and dark themes at runtime:

@Composable
fun ThemeSwitcherApp() {
    var isDarkTheme by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }

    MaterialTheme(
        colorScheme = if (isDarkTheme) customDarkColors else customLightColors,
        typography = Typography
    ) {
        Column {
            Button(onClick = { isDarkTheme = !isDarkTheme }) {
                Text("Switch Theme")
            }
            MainScreen()
        }
    }
}

Conclusion

Customizing colors in Jetpack Compose Material 3 is a powerful way to create visually appealing, accessible, and brand-consistent applications. By leveraging dynamic colors, custom schemes, and advanced techniques, developers can build modern UIs that delight users. Always test your designs across themes and devices to ensure a polished experience.

Embrace the flexibility of Jetpack Compose Material 3 and elevate your app’s UI today. Happy coding!