Color Picking and Palette Generation
Our color picker is a complete color toolkit for web designers, UI/UX designers, and developers. Pick any color using the visual color wheel, enter a HEX code, or specify RGB or HSL values directly. The tool instantly converts between all formats and generates a complete shade palette and complementary color scheme — everything you need to build a consistent color system.
Understanding Color Formats
HEX (#RRGGBB) is the most common format for web design and CSS. It represents red, green, and blue channels as two hexadecimal digits each (00–FF). Example: #3b82f6 is Tailwind's blue-500. RGB (Red, Green, Blue) specifies each channel as a decimal value 0–255. Useful in CSS and graphic design software. RGBA adds an alpha channel (0.0–1.0) for transparency. HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) is the most intuitive format for humans: hue is the color (0–360°), saturation is the intensity (0–100%), and lightness is brightness (0–100%). HSL makes it easy to create consistent tints and shades.
Shade Palettes
Our shade palette generator creates 10 graduated steps from very light to very dark, anchored by your chosen base color — similar to Tailwind CSS and Material Design color scales. This is useful for building hover states, disabled states, borders, and backgrounds that all harmonize with your brand color.
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel. They create maximum contrast and vibrant pairings. Split-complementary, triadic, and analogous schemes are also available for more nuanced palettes.
Using Our Free Color Picker
Use the color wheel or input field to pick your color. Copy HEX, RGB, or HSL values with one click. Browse the shade palette or complementary colors below. All conversion happens instantly in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
What color formats are supported?
HEX (#RRGGBB), RGB (Red, Green, Blue 0–255), RGBA (with alpha transparency), and HSL (Hue 0–360°, Saturation 0–100%, Lightness 0–100%). Click any format to copy it instantly.
How are shade palettes generated?
Shade palettes are created by varying the lightness value in the HSL color space from very light (90%+) to very dark (10%−), keeping hue and saturation constant. This produces a harmonious range of tints and shades.
What is the difference between HEX and RGB?
HEX is a hexadecimal encoding of RGB values. #3b82f6 = rgb(59, 130, 246). Both represent the same color — HEX is more compact for CSS; RGB is more readable for calculations.
How do I find complementary colors?
Complementary colors are found by shifting the hue by 180° on the color wheel. For a blue (210° hue), the complement is orange (~30° hue). Our tool calculates this automatically from your selected color.