Color Converter
Convert between HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, and color names. Includes color picker, harmony generator, contrast checker, and color blindness simulation.
How Color Conversion Works
Different color models represent colors in unique ways for various applications.
Color Models Explained
- HEX — Hexadecimal RGB notation (e.g. #ff0000), widely used in web design and CSS.
- RGB / RGBA — Red, Green, Blue values (0-255 each). RGBA adds alpha transparency.
- HSL / HSLA — Hue (0-360), Saturation (0-100%), Lightness (0-100%). More intuitive for humans.
- HSV / HSB — Hue, Saturation, Value/Brightness. Common in image editing tools.
- CMYK — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black). Used in printing and publishing.
- Luminance — Relative brightness of a color, used in WCAG contrast calculations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about color conversion and color codes.
Split the HEX code (#RRGGBB) into three pairs. Convert each pair from hexadecimal (base 16) to decimal (base 10). For example, #FF0000: FF = 255, 00 = 0, 00 = 0, giving rgb(255, 0, 0). Three-digit shorthand (#RGB) expands each digit: #F00 = #FF0000.
Both use Hue (the color angle 0-360) but differ in the other axes. HSL uses Saturation + Lightness (lightness goes from black to white). HSV uses Saturation + Value (value goes from black to full brightness). HSV is better for color picking; HSL is more perceptually uniform.
The WCAG contrast ratio measures the luminance difference between two colors (typically text and background). AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. AAA requires 7:1 for normal text and 4.5:1 for large text. Higher ratios mean better readability.
Web safe colors are the 216 colors that display consistently across all monitors and browsers. They use only hex values of 00, 33, 66, 99, CC, and FF for each channel. Modern displays can show millions of colors, but web safe colors are still useful for retro or constrained designs.