Color Palette Generator
Generate beautiful, harmonious color palettes from any base color.
Color Palette Generator Features
Professional color palettes for any design project.
Complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, split, and monochromatic.
Use the visual color picker or enter hex codes directly.
Colors shown in HEX, RGB, and HSL.
Key Takeaways
- Enter a base color via the visual picker or a six-digit hex code, choose one of six harmony types (complementary, split-complementary, triadic, tetradic, analogous, or monochromatic), and the generator derives five related colors right in your browser.
- Each swatch displays its HEX, RGB, and HSL values together, and the Copy HEX button sends the uppercase hex code straight to your clipboard for pasting into CSS or design tools.
- Pick complementary for high-contrast accents and button states, triadic or tetradic for balanced multi-color schemes, analogous for calm cohesive backgrounds, and monochromatic for single-hue tints, tones, and shades.
- Use a saturated base color rather than gray, black, or white (which produce flat results), enter the full seven-character hex form like #FF0000 since three-digit shorthand is rejected, and allow clipboard access on a secure page for Copy HEX to work.
How to Build a Color Palette From a Base Color
Set Your Base Color
Drag the visual color picker or type a six-digit hex code such as #3B82F6 into the base color field. The picker and the hex input stay in sync, so editing one updates the other instantly. This single color becomes the anchor the generator builds every harmony around.
Pick a Harmony Type
Choose one of the six schemes: complementary, split-complementary, triadic, tetradic, analogous, or monochromatic. Each rotates the hue and adjusts saturation and lightness in HSL space to derive five related colors. Click Generate Palette to produce the swatches in your browser.
Read and Copy the Values
Every swatch shows its HEX, RGB, and HSL values together. Click the Copy HEX button on any swatch to send its uppercase hex code to your clipboard, then paste it straight into your CSS, design tool, or style guide.
The Six Harmony Types Explained
The generator starts from your base hue and uses color theory rules to rotate around the color wheel and shift lightness. Here is how each option derives its five colors so you can pick the scheme that matches your design goal.
| Harmony Type | Hue Rotation | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Complementary | Base hue plus 180 degrees, with lighter and darker variants | High-contrast accents and call-to-action elements |
| Split-Complementary | Base hue plus 150 and 210 degrees | Strong contrast that is softer than pure complementary |
| Triadic | Base hue plus 120 and 240 degrees | Balanced, vibrant three-way color schemes |
| Tetradic | Base hue plus 90, 180, and 270 degrees | Rich multi-color layouts with a dominant base |
| Analogous | Base hue minus 40 to plus 40 degrees | Calm, cohesive gradients and backgrounds |
| Monochromatic | Same hue, lightness stepped from dark to light | Subtle, single-color tints, tones, and shades |
Which Harmony Should You Choose
Want Maximum Contrast
Pick complementary. The opposite hue makes a button or badge pop against your base color, and the generator adds a lighter and darker variant so you have a ready hover and pressed state.
Want Balanced Variety
Choose triadic or tetradic. These spread colors evenly around the wheel, giving you three or four distinct hues that share equal visual weight for charts, tags, or category systems.
Want a Calm, Cohesive Look
Use analogous. Hues within 40 degrees of the base sit next to each other on the wheel, producing smooth backgrounds and gradients that feel unified rather than busy.
Want a Single-Color Theme
Select monochromatic. It keeps your exact hue and steps lightness from dark to light, ideal when a brand mandates one color but you still need depth for borders, fills, and text.
Common Problems and Fixes
The Palette Does Not Update
The generator reads the hex input first and only falls back to the picker if the text is not a valid six-digit code. Make sure the field reads exactly seven characters, starting with # followed by six hex digits like #1A2B3C, then click Generate Palette again.
Three-Digit Shorthand Hex Is Rejected
Shortcodes such as #F00 are not accepted. Expand them to the full six-digit form, so #F00 becomes #FF0000, and the picker and palette will respond correctly.
Copy HEX Did Nothing
Copying uses your browser clipboard, which requires a secure page and clipboard permission. If the button does not switch to Copied, allow clipboard access for the site or select the hex value shown on the swatch and copy it manually.
A Gray Base Gives Flat Results
Pure grays, black, and white have no saturation, so rotating the hue produces little or no visible change. Start from a saturated color if you want clearly distinct harmony colors, then reduce saturation afterward if needed.
About Color Palette Generator
Generate harmonious color palettes from a base color using complementary, triadic, analogous, and other color theory schemes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, this tool is completely free.
No account or registration is required.
You can use it as many times as you like.
Is my data private?
Browser-side workflows run locally.
Your data is never sent to any server.
We do not store, log, or share your input.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, the tool is fully responsive.
It works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
No app download is needed.
Do I need to install anything?
No installation is required.
It runs entirely in your web browser.
Works on any modern browser without plugins.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no strict file size limit.
Very large inputs may be limited by browser memory.
For best performance, keep inputs under a few MB.
Can I use the output commercially?
Yes, there are no restrictions on usage.
The output belongs entirely to you.
Use it for personal or commercial projects freely.
What browsers are supported?
All modern browsers are supported.
This includes Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
Keep your browser updated for best results.
How accurate is the result?
Results are highly accurate for standard inputs.
Edge cases may produce unexpected output.
Always review the output before using it in production.
Works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, and other modern browsers on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. No software installation or sign-up required. All conversions run directly in your browser, so your files never leave your device and are never uploaded to a server. Free to use with no account needed.
Sources and References
Format and tool details on this page are based on the official specifications and documentation below.
- CSS color values- MDN Web Docs
- CSS Color Module- W3C