Color Converter

This color converter takes a HEX color code and shows the same color as RGB, HSL and CMYK values, builds matching palettes, and checks its contrast against a background color.

How the formats relate

• HEX writes red, green and blue as pairs of hexadecimal digits from 00 to FF (0–255). The HEX field accepts 6-digit codes and 3-digit shorthand, where #0AF means #00AAFF, with or without the #. 8-digit codes with alpha are not supported.
• RGB is the same three channels as decimal numbers, for example rgb(143, 179, 129).
• HSL describes hue as an angle from 0 to 360° plus saturation and lightness percentages, which makes a color easy to lighten or darken by hand. Values are rounded to whole numbers, so converting back can shift a channel slightly.
• CMYK gives ink percentages using the basic mathematical formula, not an ICC color profile. Treat it as a starting point and confirm against your printer's profile.
• CSS Name appears only when the color exactly matches one of the 16 basic CSS color keywords, such as navy or teal.

Palettes and contrast

Complementary rotates the hue by 180°. Analogous adds the colors 30° either side of yours. Monochromatic gives five shades by moving lightness 10 and 20 points in each direction.

The contrast checker uses the WCAG 2 relative luminance formula. Its AA badge passes at 4.5:1 and AAA at 7:1, the thresholds for normal-size text. WCAG separately asks for 3:1 between user interface components or meaningful graphics and their surroundings. Don't rely on color alone to carry meaning; pair error or success colors with text or an icon.