This study reports the development of two new channelrhodopsins, Chronos and Chrimson, through de novo sequencing and physiological characterization of opsins from over 100 species of algae. Chronos is a blue- and green-light drivable channelrhodopsin with faster kinetics than any previously described, while Chrimson is a red-light drivable channelrhodopsin with a 45 nm red-shift relative to any previous channelrhodopsin. These two reagents enable crosstalk-free two-color activation of neural spiking and synaptic transmission in independent neural populations in mouse brain slices. Chrimson is particularly useful for experiments requiring red light, such as deep tissue targeting or scenarios where blue light is visually distracting. The study also demonstrates the utility of Chrimson in *Drosophila* behavioral experiments, showing that it can mediate responses with extremely low light powers across all wavelengths tested. The findings provide significant advancements in the field of opsin engineering and open new avenues for neuroscientific research.This study reports the development of two new channelrhodopsins, Chronos and Chrimson, through de novo sequencing and physiological characterization of opsins from over 100 species of algae. Chronos is a blue- and green-light drivable channelrhodopsin with faster kinetics than any previously described, while Chrimson is a red-light drivable channelrhodopsin with a 45 nm red-shift relative to any previous channelrhodopsin. These two reagents enable crosstalk-free two-color activation of neural spiking and synaptic transmission in independent neural populations in mouse brain slices. Chrimson is particularly useful for experiments requiring red light, such as deep tissue targeting or scenarios where blue light is visually distracting. The study also demonstrates the utility of Chrimson in *Drosophila* behavioral experiments, showing that it can mediate responses with extremely low light powers across all wavelengths tested. The findings provide significant advancements in the field of opsin engineering and open new avenues for neuroscientific research.