Color Palette Generator
Builds matching palettes and tone steps from an image.
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A WHOLE PALETTE FROM ONE COLOR.
The Color Palette Creator builds a ready-to-use color palette starting from an image. First the dominant colors in the image are measured (between 2 and 16, 6 by default) and the color taking up the most space is chosen as the main color. Then harmonies are derived from that main color according to classic color theory: complementary (180°), split complementary (150° and 210°), triadic (120° and 240°), analogous (±30°) and square (90°, 180°, 270°). Six tone steps of the main color, from dark to light, are given as well. If you like, the most vivid color can be used as the main color instead; on images with a gray or white background, the harmonies then come from the accent color rather than the background.
The dominant colors are measured, while the harmonies are worked out from the geometry of the color wheel. So that a very washed-out or very dark main color does not produce an unusable palette, the saturation and lightness are pulled into a reasonable range. Transparent pixels are not counted. Every color is given with its HEX code; the report can be downloaded as JSON. It is used to draw cover, presentation or brand colors from a photograph. If you only want to see the colors in the image and their proportions, the “Extract Color Palette” tool is simpler.
From start to finish
- Upload your image. Drag and drop or choose the photo, logo or design.
- Choose the number of dominant colors. Between 2 and 16; 6 is a good start for most images.
- Use the palette. Take the harmonies and the tone steps with their HEX codes, or download the report as JSON.
Frequently asked questions
Which harmony should I choose?
Complementary gives a strong contrast and is good for an accent color. Analogous gives a calm, harmonious look. Triadic gives a lively but balanced palette. Square builds a rich system with four colors.
What are the tone steps for?
They are six tones of the same color, from dark to light. They let you choose background, border, button and text colors consistently from a single main color.
What is the difference from “Extract Color Palette”?
Extract Color Palette reports what is in the image and in what proportions. This tool also derives harmonious colors from the main color that you can use in a design.
Does my file stay on the server?
No. Your file reaches the server only to be processed and is deleted when the job is done; the output is deleted too once you download it and leave the tool. You don't need an account, a name or an email address, and your files are never sent to a third-party service. It is free to use: we set no hourly or daily quota on the number of jobs, we don't make you watch an ad before processing, and we add no watermark to the output.
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