Color Palette Generator

What is the Color Palette Generator?

The Color Palette Generator turns a single base color into a set of coordinated, ready-to-use color schemes. Type or pick one starting color and the tool instantly builds six classic harmonies from it — complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic, and monochromatic — each shown as swatches with HEX, RGB, and HSL values. Instead of guessing which colors look good together, you get palettes that follow established color-theory rules, ready to copy into your design or code.

How to use it

1. Enter a base color — type a HEX code, paste one in, or use the color picker to choose visually.
2. The generator immediately produces all six harmony schemes from that base color.
3. Read each swatch's HEX, RGB, and HSL values; switch the displayed format with the HEX / RGB / HSL buttons if you prefer one over another.
4. Tap a swatch to copy its value, or use the copy button on a scheme to grab the whole scheme at once, then paste into Figma, CSS, Tailwind, or your editor.
5. Adjust the base color and the whole set updates live — iterate until a scheme fits.

The method behind it (color theory)

Color harmony comes from positions on the color wheel — the hue ring that runs from 0 to 360 degrees. This tool works in HSL: it keeps your base color's saturation and lightness and rotates only the Hue by fixed, standard angles for each scheme. Because the angles are the same ones taught in color theory, the results follow real harmony rules rather than guesswork. Here are the exact angles the generator uses:

• Complementary — base hue + 180 degrees (the opposite color; maximum contrast, two-color pairs).
• Analogous — base hue plus or minus 30 degrees (neighbors on the wheel; calm, cohesive, three colors).
• Triadic — base hue + 120 and + 240 degrees (three evenly spaced hues; balanced but vivid).
• Split-complementary — base hue + 150 and + 210 degrees (the two colors beside the complement; high contrast with less tension than a pure complementary pair).
• Tetradic (rectangle) — base hue + 90, + 180, + 270 degrees (two complementary pairs; rich, four colors, works best with one dominant color).
• Monochromatic — same hue, varied lightness and saturation (one color in several tints and shades; safe and elegant).

For most schemes the hue is the only thing rotated; saturation and lightness stay tied to the base, which is why the results feel coordinated rather than random. Everything is computed in the browser using standard HSL to RGB to HEX conversion, so no data ever leaves your device.

Examples

• Base #3B82F6 (a blue): the complementary scheme yields a warm orange near #F6843B; the analogous scheme gives teal-leaning and indigo-leaning neighbors; the triadic scheme pairs the blue with a red and a green partner.
• Base #E11D48 (a warm red): the monochromatic scheme produces a ladder of tints and shades for a single-color brand look, while the split-complementary scheme adds two balancing greens beside the red's opposite.
• Base #10B981 (a green): the triadic scheme returns a fresh, balanced trio well suited to a clean UI, and the analogous scheme keeps everything in the green-to-cyan family.

Common use cases

• Brand and logo design — start from a brand color and build a coherent secondary and accent set.
• Web and UI design — generate accent, hover, and background tones (monochromatic) plus a contrasting call-to-action color (complementary).
• Front-end development — copy HEX, RGB, or HSL straight into CSS variables, a Tailwind config, or design tokens.
• Presentations, illustration, and crafts — pick harmonious colors quickly without color-theory training.
• Accessibility starting point — choose a high-contrast complementary pair as a basis, then verify with a contrast checker.

Why use this one

This tool does one job well: it generates harmony schemes from a base color, which is different from the sibling color tools on this site. The Color Picker only selects a single color, the Color Namer only tells you a color's name, and a random color generator just rolls random swatches. The Color Palette Generator turns one base color into a coordinated set, and it shows the exact color-wheel angles so the math is transparent and trustworthy. Every swatch carries HEX, RGB, and HSL with one-tap copy, it needs no sign-up, it is 100% client-side so your colors never leave the browser, and it loads instantly. To grab a base color out of a photo first, use the Color Picker from Image.

Frequently asked questions