Color Palette Picker
Generate color palettes from any base color. Get shades, tints, complementary, analogous, and triadic schemes with hex codes, RGB, and CSS variables.
Disclaimer: Free tool provided “as is” by MonitorGiant. No warranty or liability for any data loss, security issues, or infrastructure problems arising from use of this tool. Results are for informational purposes only. · A Free Tool by MonitorGiant
How Color Palette Picker works
The Color Palette Picker generates harmonious color schemes from a single base color using HSL mathematics. Every palette is calculated in real time — no presets, no lookups.
- 1
Pick your base color
Use the colour picker, type a hex code directly, or click one of the quick-pick swatches. The palette regenerates instantly whenever the color changes.
- 2
Shades and tints
Ten stops from near-black to near-white, evenly distributed in lightness while keeping your hue and saturation. Labelled 50–950 in the Tailwind convention.
- 3
Complementary palette
The color directly opposite on the colour wheel (hue + 180°). Generates five tones — two shades of your base, the complement, plus two analogous transitions — for a high-contrast pairing.
- 4
Analogous palette
Colors adjacent on the wheel (±30° and ±60°). These naturally harmonious combinations are ideal for subtle backgrounds, borders, and accents without visual clash.
- 5
Triadic palette
Three equally-spaced hues (120° apart) that create vibrant, balanced colour schemes. Useful for UI systems that need three distinct accent colours with inherent harmony.
- 6
Export CSS custom properties
Click "Copy CSS vars" for any section, or "Copy all" to get a complete :root { } block ready to paste into your stylesheet. Variable names follow the --color-{name}-{shade} convention.
All color calculations are performed locally in your browser using JavaScript HSL mathematics. No color data is sent to MonitorGiant or any third party.
Frequently asked questions — Color Palette Picker
How do I generate a color palette from a single hex color?
Enter any hex color code (e.g. #2563EB) in the color input or click the color picker swatch. The tool instantly generates a 10-stop shade/tint scale, a complementary color, two analogous colors, and two triadic colors — all calculated using HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) mathematics. Click any swatch to copy its hex code to your clipboard.
What is the difference between shades, tints, complementary, analogous, and triadic colors?
Shades are created by decreasing the lightness of your base color towards black. Tints increase lightness towards white. Complementary colors are exactly 180° opposite on the color wheel — high contrast pairs. Analogous colors are 30° apart, creating harmonious, low-contrast groups. Triadic colors are 120° apart — three equally spaced hues that form a vibrant, balanced palette. All four types are shown simultaneously by this tool.
How do I use the generated colors as CSS custom properties?
Click "Copy CSS vars" below any color section, or "Copy all" for the complete palette. The output is a :root { } block ready to paste into your global CSS file. Variable names follow the --color-{name}-{shade} convention (e.g. --color-primary-500). Reference them in your CSS as color: var(--color-primary-500). This pattern works natively in all modern browsers with no preprocessor required.
Can I use these color palettes with Tailwind CSS?
Yes — Tailwind's configuration accepts custom color palettes. Copy the hex values from this tool and add them to your tailwind.config.js under theme.extend.colors. For Tailwind CSS v4, paste the hex values into your @theme block in global.css: --color-primary-500: #2563EB. Tailwind will generate utility classes like bg-primary-500 and text-primary-500 automatically.
How do I make sure my color choices are accessible (WCAG compliant)?
WCAG 2.1 requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text against the background. When using the shade scale, very dark shades (50–200 range on a 50-950 scale) on a white background and very light shades on a dark background typically meet WCAG AA. Avoid pairing mid-range shades (400–600) against white or light greys. Use a contrast checker like WebAIM's Contrast Checker to verify specific pairings.
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