How to Generate a Color Palette
Create harmonious color palettes using color theory rules like complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes from any base color.
- 1
Choose a base color
Select your primary brand color or starting color using the color picker, or enter a hex code, RGB, or HSL value directly.
- 2
Select a harmony rule
Choose a color harmony type — complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, or tetradic — to generate a palette based on color theory.
- 3
Adjust and fine-tune
Modify individual colors in the palette by adjusting saturation, lightness, or hue. Lock colors you want to keep while regenerating others.
- 4
Export the palette
Copy individual color values or export the entire palette as hex codes, RGB values, or CSS custom properties for your project.
Choosing colors that work well together is one of the hardest parts of design. Rather than picking colors by feel and hoping they harmonize, the Color Palette Generator uses color theory to produce palettes that are mathematically balanced and visually cohesive.
Understanding color harmonies
Color harmonies are relationships between colors on the color wheel that produce pleasing combinations. Each harmony type creates a different mood and visual effect.
Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel (like blue and orange). They create high contrast and draw attention, making them ideal for call-to-action elements against a contrasting background.
Analogous colors sit next to each other on the wheel (like blue, blue-green, and green). They create a calm, unified feel and work well for backgrounds and content areas where you want visual cohesion without stark contrast.
Triadic colors are evenly spaced around the wheel (like red, yellow, and blue). They offer strong visual contrast while maintaining color balance, working well for vibrant designs that need variety without chaos.
Split-complementary uses a base color plus the two colors adjacent to its complement. It offers contrast similar to complementary but with more nuance and less tension.
Tips and best practices
- Start with your brand color. Use your existing primary color as the base and let the generator create supporting colors that harmonize with it.
- Check contrast ratios for text. A beautiful palette means nothing if text is unreadable. Verify that text/background combinations meet WCAG contrast requirements using a Color Contrast Checker.
- Generate tints and shades. Once you have your palette colors, create lighter (tints) and darker (shades) variations for hover states, backgrounds, and borders.
- Limit your palette to 3-5 colors. More colors create visual noise. Use your palette colors intentionally — a primary for actions, a secondary for accents, and neutrals for everything else.
- Test in context. Colors look different against different backgrounds and at different sizes. Preview your palette in a realistic layout before committing.
Common issues
- Colors look different on different screens. Monitor calibration and color profiles affect how colors appear. Test your palette on multiple devices and consider using widely-supported color spaces.
- Palette looks good in isolation but not in a UI. Color swatches side by side behave differently than colors applied to text, buttons, and backgrounds. Always test colors in context with your actual interface.
- Neon or overly saturated palettes. Fully saturated colors are fatiguing and reduce readability. Desaturate slightly for most UI elements and reserve vivid colors for small accent areas.
Open Color Palette Generator
Use the Color Palette Generator tool directly — no sign-up needed. Runs entirely in your browser.
Open Color Palette Generator
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