What Are Color Tools?
Color tools help designers and developers work with colors efficiently — converting between formats (HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK), picking colors from any source, generating CSS gradients, and creating harmonious color palettes based on color theory. Whether you're building a website, designing a brand identity, or choosing paint colors, these tools give you instant, accurate results.
How to Use These Tools
Use the Color Picker to select a color visually and see its values in all formats. Use the Color Converter when you have a known value (like a HEX code from a design file) and need it in a different format. Use the Color Palette Generator to build a full color scheme from a single base color using color theory relationships.
Color Formats Explained
- HEX: #RRGGBB — 6-character hexadecimal, widely used in web CSS (e.g., #FF5733)
- RGB: rgb(R, G, B) — values 0–255 per channel (e.g., rgb(255, 87, 51))
- HSL: hsl(H, S%, L%) — Hue (0–360°), Saturation (0–100%), Lightness (0–100%)
- CMYK: Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Key (Black) — used in print design, values 0–100%
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert HEX to RGB?
Split the HEX code into three pairs and convert each from base-16 to base-10. For #FF5733: FF = 255 (Red), 57 = 87 (Green), 33 = 51 (Blue) → RGB(255, 87, 51). The Color Converter handles any format conversion instantly.
What is HSL color format?
HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, Lightness. Hue is a degree on the color wheel (0°=red, 120°=green, 240°=blue). Saturation is intensity (0%=gray, 100%=vivid). Lightness is brightness (0%=black, 50%=normal, 100%=white). HSL is preferred by designers since you can intuitively adjust brightness and saturation without changing the hue.
What are complementary colors?
Complementary colors are 180° apart on the color wheel (e.g., blue and orange, red and green). They create maximum contrast when paired. Our Color Palette Generator supports complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split-complementary, and monochromatic schemes.
How do I create a CSS gradient?
Use linear-gradient(direction, color1, color2) or radial-gradient(shape, color1, color2). Example: background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea, #764ba2). Our CSS Gradient Generator builds this visually with multiple color stops.
What is a color palette and how many colors should it have?
A color palette is a curated set of harmonious colors. For web design: 1 primary brand color, 1–2 accent colors, 1–2 neutrals (grays) = 3–5 total. Our Color Palette Generator creates 5-color palettes based on color theory from any base color you choose.