Palette Generator
Extract from image or generate harmonious color palettes
#DC3232
#DC8732
#DCDC32
#87DC32
#DC3232
rgb(220, 50, 50)
hsl(0, 71%, 53%)
#DC8732
rgb(220, 135, 50)
hsl(30, 71%, 53%)
#DCDC32
rgb(220, 220, 50)
hsl(60, 71%, 53%)
#87DC32
rgb(135, 220, 50)
hsl(90, 71%, 53%)
How to Generate a Color Palette
- Click any color swatch or use the color picker to set your base color.
- Choose a Harmony Mode — Complementary, Triadic, Analogous, Split-Complementary, or Tetradic.
- Click the lock icon on any color to keep it while regenerating the rest.
- Press Space or the generate button to shuffle unlocked colors.
- Export your palette as CSS variables, JSON, or a downloadable image.
- Save palettes to your local library and reload them anytime.
Why Use This Color Palette Generator?
- Color theory built in — all harmony modes are mathematically derived from HSL color space for visually pleasing results.
- Developer-ready exports — copy CSS custom properties (
--color-1: #abc123) or JSON for direct use in code. - Lock & regenerate — lock colors you love and randomize the rest, iterating until the palette is perfect.
- Saved palettes — your palettes are saved in localStorage so they persist between sessions.
- No signup required — completely with no account, ads, or watermarks.
Tips for Creating Great Palettes
- Start with your brand's primary color and let the harmony mode suggest the rest.
- For UI design, use Analogous for a calm, professional feel and Complementary for high-contrast call-to-action buttons.
- Adjust lightness in HSL to create tints and shades within your harmony.
- The Tetradic scheme works great for vibrant, playful designs — it gives you four colors with rich variety.
- Lock your neutral (background/text) color and regenerate the accent colors to quickly iterate.
About this tool
Palette Generator creates coordinated color sets based on harmony rules such as complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, and monochromatic. It is useful for building visual systems, testing brand directions, creating UI palettes, and exporting ready-to-use values for code or design tools.
When to use it
- •Start a design system, landing page, poster, or motion piece with a fast color direction.
- •Explore alternatives around one anchor color while keeping relationships coherent.
- •Generate exportable CSS, JSON, or Tailwind-friendly values for implementation.
Best for
- •UI and brand designers working from a seed color.
- •Creative coders who need harmonious color sets for generative work.
- •Teams moving from inspiration to implementation without opening a heavier design app.
Output and privacy
- •Exports palette values in multiple formats including CSS variables and JSON.
- •The palette generation logic runs in the browser without requiring signup or cloud processing.
- •Useful for rapid ideation because you can lock colors and regenerate locally.
Limitations
- •Harmony rules are a strong starting point, but they do not replace contrast testing or brand judgment.
- •Automatically generated palettes may still need manual tuning for accessibility and production use.
- •Screen-based harmony calculations do not guarantee print accuracy across physical color spaces.
Example use cases
- •Generate a five-color analogous palette for a soft editorial landing page.
- •Lock a brand violet and regenerate the remaining colors for a dark UI theme.
- •Export CSS custom properties to hand off a palette directly to a front-end build.
Related tools
- •Use Color Converter when you already know the color and need format translation between HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, or CMYK.
- •Use Gradient Maker after choosing a palette if you want to turn those colors into CSS gradients.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this palette generator do?
This tool creates color palettes from harmony rules so you can generate combinations that feel related instead of random. It also lets you lock colors and export the results for design systems, code, and creative workflows.
When should I use a palette generator?
Use a palette generator when you need a fast starting point for branding, UI, editorial design, motion graphics, or generative art and you want mathematically related colors rather than guessing by eye.
What color harmony rules are available?
Complementary, triadic, analogous, split-complementary, tetradic, and monochromatic. Each rule generates colors that work well together based on color theory.
Can I export palettes for code?
Yes. Export as CSS custom properties, JSON, Tailwind config, or as an image swatch. Hex, RGB, and HSL formats are all supported.
Can I lock specific colors?
Yes. Lock any color in the palette and regenerate the rest. This lets you build around a brand color or specific starting point.
How many colors can a palette have?
Palettes support 2 to 10 colors. The default is 5, which works well for most design systems.
Is this tool based on color theory?
Yes. Harmony rules are based on the color wheel positions defined in traditional color theory, calculated in HSL color space for perceptually balanced results.