Color Palette Generator
How to Use
- Pick a base color using the color picker.
- Select a palette type (shades, tints, analogous, complementary, or triadic).
- Adjust the number of colors in the palette.
- Click any color swatch to copy its hex code.
Palette Types
- Shades: Progressively darker versions of the base color (decreasing lightness).
- Tints: Progressively lighter versions of the base color (increasing lightness).
- Analogous: Colors adjacent on the color wheel, creating harmonious combinations.
- Complementary: Colors spread from the base to its opposite on the color wheel.
- Triadic: Colors spread across a 120-degree arc for vibrant, balanced palettes.
What is a Color Palette?
A color palette is a curated set of colors used together in a design. Color theory provides systematic approaches to creating harmonious combinations: analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel and feel cohesive, complementary colors sit opposite each other and create strong contrast, and triadic colors are evenly spaced for vibrant balance. Shades and tints are variations of a single hue, made darker or lighter respectively. A well-chosen palette ensures visual consistency across websites, apps, and print materials.
Use Cases
- Web design: Establish a consistent color scheme for backgrounds, text, buttons, and accents across your site.
- Branding: Define primary, secondary, and accent colors that represent your brand identity.
- Presentations: Choose a cohesive palette for slides that looks professional and easy to read.
- UI/UX design: Generate accessible color combinations that meet contrast ratio requirements.
- Social media: Create visually appealing graphics with harmonious color schemes.
Tips for Choosing Palettes
- Start with your brand's primary color and generate complementary or analogous palettes from it.
- Limit your palette to 3-5 colors to avoid visual clutter.
- Always check color contrast ratios for accessibility (WCAG recommends at least 4.5:1 for normal text).
- Use shades and tints of the same hue for subtle variations without introducing new colors.
- Test your palette in both light and dark modes to ensure it works across contexts.
Privacy
All processing happens in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
FAQ
What is the difference between analogous, complementary, and triadic?
Analogous colors sit next to each other on the color wheel for a cohesive look, complementary colors spread toward the opposite side for strong contrast, and triadic colors span a 120-degree arc for a vibrant, balanced scheme. Shades and tints are simply darker and lighter variations of the same hue.
Is the base color I pick sent to a server?
No. Palette generation happens entirely in your browser, and neither your base color nor the generated results are ever sent to a server. You can safely build palettes from unreleased brand colors.
How many colors can I put in a palette?
You can adjust the number of generated colors with the count control. In practice, keeping a palette to about 3-5 colors works best to avoid visual clutter.
How do I copy a generated color?
Click any color swatch in the palette to copy its hex code to your clipboard, ready to paste straight into CSS or a design tool.
Can I create accessible palettes with this?
The tool generates color-theory-based schemes but does not check contrast ratios. Since WCAG recommends at least 4.5:1 for normal text, verify your chosen pairs in a contrast checker after generating the palette.