Color Palette Generator - Create Color Schemes Online
Create harmonious color palettes using color theory. Generate complementary, analogous, triadic, and split-complementary schemes with interactive color wheel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Color Palette Generator?
A color palette generator is an online tool that creates harmonious sets of colors based on color theory principles. Given a single base color, it calculates related colors using mathematical relationships on the color wheel (such as complementary, analogous, or triadic harmonies) to produce palettes that are visually pleasing and work well together in designs.
How do I use this tool?
Select a base color using the interactive color wheel, or type a HEX/RGB/HSL value into the input field. Choose a harmony mode (Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Tetradic, Split-Complementary, or Monochromatic). View the generated palette displayed as color swatches. Optionally lock individual colors and regenerate others. Copy individual colors or the entire palette. Export as CSS variables, Tailwind config, JSON, or SCSS variables.
Is my color data safe? Does it get sent to a server?
Your color data is 100% safe and never leaves your browser. All color calculations, harmony generation, and palette creation are performed client-side using JavaScript. No data is transmitted to any server, making this tool safe for exploring proprietary brand colors and confidential design work.
What are color harmonies and why do they matter?
Color harmonies are combinations of colors that are aesthetically pleasing based on their positions on the color wheel. They matter because randomly chosen colors often clash, while harmonious colors create visual balance and coherence. The six main harmony types are: Complementary (high contrast, vibrant look), Analogous (serene, comfortable feel), Triadic (balanced, vibrant palette), Tetradic (rich, diverse scheme), Split-Complementary (high contrast with less tension), and Monochromatic (unified, elegant look).
What is the difference between this tool and the Color Converter?
The Color Converter focuses on converting between color formats (HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK) and includes a basic palette tab. The Color Palette Generator is purpose-built for palette creation with an interactive color wheel, all six harmony modes, palette locking, shade/tint scale generation, and multiple export formats designed for production use in design systems and CSS frameworks.
Can I use the generated palettes in my Tailwind CSS project?
Yes. The tool provides a dedicated Tailwind CSS config export that generates a ready-to-paste color object with shade values (50-900). You can copy the output and add it directly to your tailwind.config.js file under the colors key.
What is a shade/tint scale and how does it work?
A shade/tint scale generates a range of 10 color variations from your base color, ranging from very light (50) to very dark (900). This follows the naming convention used by Tailwind CSS and popular design systems. Tints are created by increasing lightness (lighter), and shades by decreasing lightness (darker), while keeping the same hue and saturation.
Code Examples
// Color Palette Generator
function hslToHex(h, s, l) {
s /= 100;
l /= 100;
const a = s * Math.min(l, 1 - l);
const f = (n) => {
const k = (n + h / 30) % 12;
const color = l - a * Math.max(Math.min(k - 3, 9 - k, 1), -1);
return Math.round(255 * color).toString(16).padStart(2, '0');
};
return `#${f(0)}${f(8)}${f(4)}`;
}
function generatePalette(baseHue, saturation, lightness, harmonyType) {
let hues;
switch (harmonyType) {
case 'complementary':
hues = [baseHue, (baseHue + 180) % 360];
break;
case 'analogous':
hues = [(baseHue - 30 + 360) % 360, baseHue, (baseHue + 30) % 360];
break;
case 'triadic':
hues = [baseHue, (baseHue + 120) % 360, (baseHue + 240) % 360];
break;
case 'monochromatic':
return [15, 30, 50, 70, 85].map(l => hslToHex(baseHue, saturation, l));
default:
hues = [baseHue];
}
return hues.map(h => hslToHex(h, saturation, lightness));
}
const palette = generatePalette(220, 70, 50, 'triadic');
console.log(palette);