Color Palette Generator — Create Beautiful Color Schemes Free
Generate harmonious color palettes using color theory — complementary, analogous, triadic, and more. Extract dominant colors from any image. Lock your favorite colors and randomize the rest. Export as CSS variables, Tailwind config, or PNG. Includes WCAG accessibility contrast checker.
How to Generate Color Palettes
- 01
Choose a generation method
Pick a base color and harmony type, extract colors from an uploaded image, or generate a random harmonious palette.
- 02
Adjust your palette
Lock colors you want to keep, delete colors you don't want, add new colors, or click any swatch to edit the HEX value directly.
- 03
Export for your project
Copy as CSS variables, Tailwind config, JSON, or plain HEX. Download as PNG. Check WCAG contrast for accessibility.
Color Harmony Reference
| Harmony | Colors | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complementary | 2 | Opposite colors on the wheel | High contrast, bold design |
| Analogous | 5 | Adjacent colors, ±30°–60° | Natural, cohesive feel |
| Triadic | 3 | 120° apart on the wheel | Vibrant, balanced |
| Split-complementary | 3 | Base + two adjacent to complement | Softer than complementary |
| Tetradic / Square | 4 | 90° apart, all four quadrants | Rich, complex palettes |
| Monochromatic | 5 | One hue, varying lightness | Elegant, minimal |
Features
- ✓6 color harmony types based on color theory
- ✓Extract dominant colors from any uploaded image
- ✓Random palette generation with Space bar shortcut
- ✓Lock individual colors to keep them on regeneration
- ✓Click any swatch to copy HEX instantly
- ✓Edit any color via HEX input or color picker
- ✓Add and remove individual colors (2–10 swatches)
- ✓WCAG contrast ratio checker (AA and AA Large)
- ✓Export as CSS variables, Tailwind, JSON, or PNG
- ✓10 curated inspiration palettes
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a color palette generator?
- A color palette generator creates sets of coordinated colors that work well together. It uses color theory principles (complementary, analogous, triadic relationships) to generate harmonious color combinations automatically. You can start from a base color, extract colors from an image, or generate random palettes.
- What color harmonies are available?
- Six harmony types: Complementary (2 opposite colors on the color wheel), Analogous (5 colors adjacent on the wheel), Triadic (3 colors 120° apart), Split-complementary (3 colors), Tetradic/Square (4 colors 90° apart), and Monochromatic (5 tints/shades of the same hue).
- How do I extract colors from an image?
- Switch to the "From Image" tab and upload any JPG, PNG, or WebP image. The tool uses the HTML Canvas API to sample pixels from your image and identify the 5 dominant colors. The algorithm clusters similar colors to avoid returning near-duplicates.
- What does the WCAG contrast checker show?
- The WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) contrast checker shows the contrast ratio between each palette color and white (#ffffff). A ratio of 4.5:1 or higher passes AA for normal text. A ratio of 3:1 passes AA for large text (18pt+). Passing AA ensures your text is readable for people with low vision.
- What export formats are supported?
- You can export as: plain HEX codes (one per line), CSS custom properties (:root { --color-1: #hex; }), Tailwind CSS config object (colors: { color1: "#hex" }), JSON array (["#hex1","#hex2",...]), or a PNG image strip of all colors.
- How do I lock colors when generating random palettes?
- Click the lock icon on any color swatch to lock it. Locked colors remain unchanged when you regenerate the palette. This lets you keep colors you like while randomizing the rest. Press Space to regenerate unlocked colors.