Color Palette Generator — Create Harmonious Color Schemes
Pick a base color and choose a harmony mode — complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, or monochromatic — to instantly generate a 5-color palette. Copy individual hex values or the whole palette as CSS custom properties. Everything runs in your browser, no account required.
How to use this tool
- Enter a base color or click Generate for a random palette.
- Browse the generated color swatches.
- Copy HEX, RGB, or HSL values for any swatch.
About Color Palette Generator
The Color Palette Generator turns a single base color into a coordinated five-color scheme using established color-theory relationships. You set the base by typing a hex value (three- or six-digit, like #3498db) or by dragging the native color picker, then choose one of six harmony modes. The first swatch in every palette is always your base color; the other four are derived from it. The result updates instantly as you change either input, so you can audition dozens of directions in seconds without committing to anything.
The six modes map directly to positions on the color wheel. Complementary pairs your base with the hue 180 degrees opposite and adds darker and lighter shades for contrast. Analogous keeps everything within roughly 30 degrees of the base for a soft, cohesive feel. Triadic and tetradic spread three or four hues evenly around the wheel for bolder, more varied schemes. Monochromatic holds the hue fixed and varies only lightness, and split-complementary uses the two hues flanking the complement for contrast that is less jarring than a straight complementary pair. All of this is computed with HSL math, with lightness clamped to a usable 5 to 95 percent range so colors never blow out to pure black or white.
Designers and developers reach for it when starting a brand, a UI theme, a slide deck, or an illustration and they want a starting palette that already holds together. Each swatch is click-to-copy as a hex string, and a single button copies the whole palette as CSS custom properties (--color-1 through --color-5) ready to paste into a stylesheet. That makes it a fast bridge from picking colors to using them in code.
The palette is generated locally in your browser, so nothing you enter is sent anywhere. The main limitation is scope: it always produces exactly five colors from one base, it does not check WCAG contrast ratios between pairs, and it does not save palettes between sessions, so copy out anything you want to keep.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many colors does each palette contain?
- Every palette has exactly five colors. The first swatch is always the base color you entered, and the remaining four are derived from it according to the harmony mode you select. The count does not change between modes.
- What do the six harmony modes mean?
- Complementary uses the hue directly opposite your base on the color wheel plus lighter and darker variations. Analogous stays within about 30 degrees of the base. Triadic and tetradic place three or four hues evenly around the wheel. Monochromatic keeps one hue and only changes lightness. Split-complementary uses the two hues on either side of the complement for softer contrast.
- How do I get the colors into my CSS?
- Click the "Copy all as CSS vars" button below the swatches. It copies a block of custom properties named --color-1 through --color-5 with the hex values, which you can paste straight into a :root rule or any selector in your stylesheet.
- Can I copy a single color instead of the whole set?
- Yes. Click any individual swatch and its hex value is copied to your clipboard. The label briefly shows "Copied!" to confirm. This is useful when you only need one or two colors from the generated set.
- What hex formats can I type as the base color?
- You can enter a six-digit hex like #3498db or a three-digit shorthand like #abc. The value is validated as you type, and the hash prefix is required. You can also use the color picker swatch beside the field to pick a base visually instead.
- Does the tool check color contrast for accessibility?
- No. It generates harmonious combinations based on hue relationships, but it does not calculate WCAG contrast ratios between text and background colors. Run any text-on-color pairings through a dedicated contrast checker before using them in an interface.
- Is my color data sent to a server?
- No. All conversions between hex and HSL and all harmony calculations run locally in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored remotely.
Embed this tool on your site
Free. One line of HTML — the tool runs in your visitor's browser, no data sent to anyone.
<iframe src="https://brevio.pro/embed/color-palette-generator" width="100%" height="600" loading="lazy" style="border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:8px" title="Color Palette Generator — brevio"></iframe> <p style="font:12px/1.4 sans-serif"><a href="https://brevio.pro/tools/color-palette-generator">Color Palette Generator</a> by <a href="https://brevio.pro">brevio</a></p>