Color Palette Generator
Generate harmonious color palettes from any base color. Choose Analogous, Complementary, Triadic or Tetradic harmony — export as CSS variables or JSON.
Updated May 2026
Base Color
Harmony Rule
Global Refinement
Assign Roles
Drag swatches → drop on a card · drag cards to swap · to pick any color
Primary
#197FE6
Secondary
#1461B8
Accent
#F59E0B
Background
#FFFFFF
Surface
#F5F7FA
Text
#111827
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Popular Palettes
Brand Palettes
How this color palette generator works
One base color, one harmony rule, five colors out
1. Pick a base color
Click the swatch to open a color picker, or type a hex code straight into the field.
2. Choose a harmony rule
Analogous, Monochromatic, Complementary, Triadic or Tetradic — the palette updates instantly as you switch.
3. Refine and export
Nudge the Saturation and Luminance sliders, then export as CSS variables, JSON or a PNG swatch card.
What this color scheme generator does
Proven color-wheel rules applied automatically, not guessed by eye
5 colors per palette, every time
The sweet spot between variety and cohesion for most UI design systems — enough range without decision fatigue.
Global saturation and luminance sliders
Shift an entire harmony brighter, darker, more muted or more vivid in one motion, without breaking the hue relationships between colors.
Regenerate while keeping the rule
Randomizes the base hue but keeps the harmony and your current adjustments — with a 10-generation history you can jump back to.
3 export formats
CSS custom properties, JSON with hex/RGB/HSL per color, or a downloadable PNG swatch card for quick sharing.
Drag-and-drop role assignment
Drag any swatch onto a Primary, Secondary, Accent, Background, Surface or Text card, then preview it live on a real site layout.
The five harmony rules explained
Each rule is a different geometric relationship on the color wheel
When you'll reach for this tool
The scenarios that come up most often for people building interfaces
UI design systems
Generate 5 colors from your brand's primary color and export straight to CSS custom properties for a component library.
Brand identity exploration
Try analogous and complementary harmonies against a logo color to see which direction feels right before committing.
Dark mode theming
Use Monochromatic with low luminance to build background, surface and muted tones that stay coherent across a theme.
Design token pipelines
The JSON export includes hex/RGB/HSL with a semantic label per color, ready to feed into Style Dictionary or a Tokens Studio workflow.
Quick mockups and pitches
Load a trending or brand-inspired preset, assign roles, and preview it on a realistic landing page layout in seconds — no design tool required.
Common mistakes
Confusing analogous with monochromatic
Analogous shifts the hue in small steps around the wheel; monochromatic keeps the hue fixed and only varies lightness.
Using Tetradic without a clear hierarchy
The richest harmony needs one dominant color with the other three playing a supporting role — treat all four as equals and the result looks noisy.
Forgetting to save before regenerating
History only keeps the last 10 generations — copy the CSS or JSON export somewhere permanent if you want to keep a palette long-term.
Why use this color palette generator
It applies proven geometric rules — analogous adjacency, complementary opposition, triadic thirds — to produce starting points that work without requiring a designer's eye for color theory.
The global saturation and luminance sliders move an entire harmony from "vivid daytime UI" to "muted, accessible dark mode" in a couple of drags, without ever breaking the hue relationships that make the palette feel intentional.
Frequently asked questions
Color harmony is the use of mathematically defined relationships between hues on the color wheel to build balanced palettes. Harmonious palettes are easier for the eye to process and read as intentional and professional, even without any formal design training.
Further reading
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