Color Converter
A Color Converter transforms color values between HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, and CMYK formats in real time, with an interactive HSL picker using gradient sliders, and a harmony palette generator showing complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, and tetradic schemes on an SVG color wheel — free, no sign-up required.
#FF5733255, 87, 5110.6°, 100%, 60%10.6°, 80%, 100%0%, 65.9%, 80%, 0%#FF5733rgb(255, 87, 51)hsl(10.6, 100%, 60%)Have a suggestion?
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What is a Color Converter?
A Color Converter translates color values between different formats used in web design, graphic design, and printing. HEX codes (#FF5733) are the standard in HTML/CSS, RGB (255, 87, 51) defines screen colors as red, green, and blue intensity from 0-255, HSL (11°, 100%, 60%) describes colors by hue angle, saturation, and lightness for intuitive adjustments, HSV (11°, 80%, 100%) is used in design tools like Photoshop, and CMYK (0%, 66%, 80%, 0%) is the standard for print. This converter handles all five formats with instant preview, an interactive color picker with gradient sliders, and a harmony palette generator that creates complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, and tetradic color schemes visualized on an SVG color wheel.
How to Use This Color Converter
- Select your input format (HEX, RGB, or HSL) and enter the color value to see instant conversions to all other formats
- Use the Color Picker tab with hue, saturation, and lightness sliders to visually select any color
- Switch to the Palette tab and enter a base HEX color to generate harmony palettes
- Choose a harmony type (complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, or tetradic) to see the color scheme on the color wheel
- Click the copy button next to any value or use Copy All to copy the entire result to your clipboard
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between HEX and RGB color formats?
HEX and RGB represent the same information in different formats. HEX uses a 6-digit hexadecimal string (#RRGGBB) where each pair represents red, green, and blue values from 00 to FF. RGB uses decimal values from 0 to 255. For example, #FF5733 is equivalent to rgb(255, 87, 51). HEX is compact and commonly used in CSS, while RGB is more human-readable.
When should I use HSL instead of RGB?
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) is more intuitive for design work because adjusting hue rotates through colors, saturation controls vibrancy, and lightness controls brightness. To create a darker shade of any color, simply reduce lightness. To create a pastel version, reduce saturation and increase lightness. This is much harder to do intuitively with RGB values.
What is CMYK and why is it different from RGB?
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) is used for print design, while RGB is for screens. RGB is additive (light-based: combining all colors produces white), while CMYK is subtractive (ink-based: combining all colors produces black). Colors may look different when converted between the two because screens display a wider color gamut than printers can reproduce.
How do color harmony palettes work?
Color harmonies are based on positions on the color wheel (HSL hue circle). Complementary colors are 180° apart, analogous colors are 30° apart, triadic colors are 120° apart, split-complementary uses 150° and 210° offsets, and tetradic uses four colors 90° apart. These relationships create visually balanced and aesthetically pleasing color schemes used in design, branding, and UI work.