Perylene dyes have been widely used as photoreceptors in organic photovoltaics because of their outstanding photo-, thermal and chemical stability as well as their excellent photophysical properties. Herein we describe a novel generation of perylene dyes based on N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-perylene-3,4-dicarboximide. The optical properties of these novel perylenes can be finely tuned via the substituents in the 1-, 6- and 9-positions of the perylene core. The facile synthesis, tunable orbital and absorption properties, and electrochemical potentials help us to design efficient perylene sensitizers for solar-cell applications.