Color Picker

Choose, customize, and convert colors between different formats with our free online color picker tool. Create color palettes, check contrast for accessibility, and more.

What is a Color Picker Tool?

A Color Picker is an indispensable tool for designers, developers, and creatives. It allows you to select colors visually or by entering specific values, extract colors from images, easily convert between different color formats (like HEX, RGB, or HSL), view color harmonies, and manage a color palette. Our professional Color Picker offers an intuitive interface with advanced features to streamline your design workflow.

Whether you're developing a website, creating graphics, analyzing photos, or planning a brand color scheme, our tool provides everything needed to select, extract, analyze, and export colors in your preferred format.

Features of Our Color Picker

Our comprehensive color picker offers the following features:

Interactive visual color selection with both hue wheel and saturation-value box.
Full support for HEX, RGB, HSL, and HSV color formats.
Instant real-time conversion between all color formats.
Precise control with dedicated RGB and HSL sliders.
Alpha channel support for transparency adjustments.
One-click copy of color values (via button or main color preview) with visual confirmation.
Multiple ways to extract colors from images: upload, paste image URL, or paste image directly (Ctrl+V).
Identification and one-click copy of dominant colors in images.
Color history to track and reuse recent selections.
Automatic display of color harmonies (Complementary, Analogous, Triadic).
Accessibility features including contrast ratio analysis.
Color shades and tints generation for creating palette variations.

Our Color Picker is designed to be intuitive for beginners while offering advanced features for professional designers and developers. All processing happens in your browser, ensuring your color data remains private.

Color Formats Explained

HEX (Hexadecimal)

A six-digit code preceded by a # symbol (e.g., #FF5733). Each pair of digits represents the intensity of red, green, and blue components (from 00 to FF). The standard format for web development.

RGB (Red, Green, Blue)

Specifies colors using three values for red, green, and blue components, each ranging from 0 to 255. Example: rgb(255, 87, 51). RGBA adds a fourth value for alpha (transparency).

HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness)

Represents color using hue (0-360°), saturation (0-100%), and lightness (0-100%). Offers an intuitive way to adjust colors. Example: hsl(14, 100%, 60%). HSLA adds alpha transparency.

HSV/HSB (Hue, Saturation, Value/Brightness)

Similar to HSL but using value/brightness instead of lightness. Often used in design software. While we display HSV values, we convert to other formats for export.

How to Use the Color Picker

1
Use the color selector to visually choose a color by clicking on the color wheel or gradient box.
2
Fine-tune your color using the RGB or HSL sliders for precise adjustments.
3
Switch between HEX, RGB, and HSL formats using the format tabs to view your color in different notations.
4
Click the image icon or use the URL input/paste function (Ctrl+V) to load an image and automatically extract its dominant colors.
5
Use the eyedropper tool to pick any color from your screen or uploaded image.
6
View color harmonies (complementary, analogous, etc.) to find matching colors for your palette.
7
Use the alpha/opacity slider if you need a semi-transparent color.
8
Click the "Copy" button or the main color preview to copy the color value in your preferred format. Selected dominant colors are also copied automatically.
9
Access your previously selected colors from the color history panel for quick reuse.

Color Theory and Harmonies

Understanding color harmonies helps create visually pleasing designs. Our tool automatically shows these key color relationships:

Complementary Colors

Colors opposite each other on the color wheel. They create high contrast and vibrant looks when used together. Example: blue and orange, red and green.

Analogous Colors

Colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. They typically match well and create serene and comfortable designs. Example: yellow, yellow-green, and green.

Triadic Colors

Three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel. They tend to be quite vibrant and offer a balanced color scheme while maintaining contrast. Example: red, yellow, and blue.

Monochromatic Colors

Various shades, tones, and tints of a single color. These create a cohesive look that's easy on the eyes and can help establish a clear visual hierarchy in designs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the image color extraction work?

You can upload an image, paste an image URL, or paste an image directly from your clipboard. Our tool then analyzes the color distribution and identifies up to 3 most dominant colors. These colors are displayed and can be selected to apply them to the picker; selecting a dominant color also copies its HEX value to your clipboard. You can also use the eyedropper tool to pick any specific color from the loaded image.

What's the difference between HSL and HSV?

Both HSL and HSV use the same hue value but differ in how they represent lightness/brightness. HSL is more intuitive for humans as it represents pure colors at 50% lightness, while HSV places pure colors at 100% value. HSL makes it easier to create tints (add white) and shades (add black).

Which color format should I use for web development?

HEX is the most widely supported format in CSS and design tools. However, if you need transparency, use RGBA or HSLA. HSL can be more intuitive when you need to programmatically adjust colors (lighten, darken, adjust saturation).

How can I ensure my colors are accessible?

For text legibility, aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (WCAG AA standards). For AAA compliance, aim for 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Our color picker includes contrast analysis to help you check accessibility.