🎨 Color Palette Generator

Free Color Palette Generator

What Is a Color Palette Generator?

A color palette generator is a tool that helps designers, developers, and creatives build sets of colors that work well together. Instead of picking colors at random and hoping they look good side by side, a palette generator uses color theory principles to produce harmonious combinations automatically. This tool creates 5-color palettes using six different harmony modes, all based on relationships within the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) color space. Whether you are designing a website, building a brand identity, creating illustrations, or styling a mobile app, having a cohesive palette saves time and produces more polished results. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser, so your color choices stay private and the tool works offline once the page has loaded.

How to Use This Tool

Start by choosing a base color using the color picker on the left side of the controls bar. This base color serves as the seed from which the rest of the palette is derived. Next, select a harmony mode from the dropdown menu. Each mode applies a different color theory rule to generate the remaining four colors. Click the "Generate" button or press the spacebar to create a new palette. If you find a color you love, click the lock icon on its swatch to keep it in place while regenerating the others. Click any swatch to copy its hex code to your clipboard instantly. When your palette is ready, use the export options to get it as CSS custom properties, SCSS variables, a Tailwind CSS configuration snippet, raw JSON data, or even a downloadable PNG image. The tool also checks WCAG contrast ratios between each pair of adjacent colors, so you can see at a glance whether your palette meets accessibility standards for text and backgrounds.

Key Features

The six harmony modes cover the most important relationships in color theory. Analogous palettes use hues within 30 degrees of the base, producing calm and cohesive schemes. Complementary mode places colors on opposite sides of the color wheel for strong visual contrast. Triadic distributes three hues evenly around the wheel, then fills in two additional supporting colors. Split-Complementary offers a softer alternative to straight complementary by using the two hues adjacent to the complement. Monochromatic stays on a single hue and varies only saturation and lightness, which is ideal for minimal or elegant designs. The Random mode ignores color theory entirely and generates five completely random colors for unexpected inspiration. Each swatch displays the hex code, RGB values, and HSL values so you always have the format you need. The locking feature lets you pin any number of individual colors while regenerating the rest, making it easy to iterate toward a perfect palette. Palette history stores the last 10 palettes you generated in your browser's local storage, so you can revisit earlier ideas without writing anything down.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HSL and why does this tool use it? HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. It is a cylindrical color model that maps naturally to how humans perceive color relationships. Working in HSL makes it straightforward to rotate hues for harmony modes and to adjust vibrancy or brightness independently.

Can I use these palettes in commercial projects? Yes. The colors you generate are mathematical values, not copyrighted content. You are free to use any palette in personal or commercial work without attribution.

What do the WCAG contrast grades mean? WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) defines contrast ratios between foreground and background colors. A ratio of 4.5:1 or higher passes AA for normal text. A ratio of 7:1 or higher passes AAA, the strictest level. Ratios between 3:1 and 4.5:1 pass AA only for large text. Below 3:1 is considered a fail. This tool checks contrast between every pair of adjacent colors in your palette so you can evaluate readability at a glance.

Is my data stored or sent anywhere? No. All color generation and export happens locally in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is transmitted to a server. Palette history is saved in localStorage on your device and can be cleared at any time by clearing your browser data.

How do I get consistent results across monitors? Color appearance depends on your display calibration and color profile. For accurate color matching in print or production work, use a calibrated monitor and verify final colors with a hardware colorimeter. This tool outputs precise numerical values, so the mathematical color is always consistent even if visual appearance varies by screen.