Color Converter
Convert colors between HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, and CMYK formats instantly. Perfect for designers and developers who need to work with different color formats.
Color Preview
This is how your color appears. All formats are synchronized and update in real-time.
Converted Values
#3B82F6rgb(59, 130, 246)hsl(217, 91%, 60%)hsv(217, 77%, 96%)cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%)Table of Contents
What is a Color Converter?
A color converter is a tool that transforms colors between different formats. Colors can be represented in various ways: HEX (hexadecimal), RGB (Red, Green, Blue), HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness), HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value), and CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black). Each format has its own use cases and advantages.
Our color converter allows you to input a color in any format and instantly see its equivalent in all other formats. This is essential when working across different design tools, programming languages, or CSS properties that require specific color formats.
Color Formats Explained
HEX (Hexadecimal)
HEX is a six-digit hexadecimal code representing red, green, and blue values. Each pair of characters represents one color channel (00-FF in hexadecimal, which is 0-255 in decimal). HEX codes are prefixed with a hash symbol (#).
Example: #3B82F6
Use cases: Web development, CSS, HTML, most design tools
Advantages: Compact, widely supported, easy to copy and paste
RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
RGB represents colors using three values for red, green, and blue intensity. Each value ranges from 0 to 255, where 0 means no color and 255 means full intensity. RGB is an additive color model, meaning colors are created by adding light.
Example: rgb(59, 130, 246)
Use cases: Digital design, image editing, programming, CSS
Advantages: Intuitive, easy to understand, precise control
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness)
HSL represents colors using three values: hue (0-360°), saturation (0-100%), and lightness (0-100%). Hue represents the color itself (position on the color wheel), saturation represents color intensity, and lightness represents brightness.
Example: hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
Use cases: Creating color variations, CSS, design systems, color theory
Advantages: Intuitive for creating variations, easy to adjust brightness and saturation
HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value)
HSV represents colors using hue (0-360°), saturation (0-100%), and value (0-100%). Value represents brightness, similar to lightness in HSL but calculated differently. HSV is commonly used in color pickers and image editing software.
Example: hsv(217, 77%, 96%)
Use cases: Color pickers, image editing software, graphics applications
Advantages: Intuitive for color selection, widely used in design tools
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black)
CMYK is a subtractive color model used in printing. Each value ranges from 0-100%, representing the amount of each ink color. CMYK is essential for print design, as it represents how colors are created by mixing inks on paper.
Example: cmyk(76%, 47%, 0%, 4%)
Use cases: Print design, professional printing, color matching for print
Advantages: Accurate for print, standard in professional printing
Use Cases
Color conversion is essential in many design and development contexts:
- Web Development: Convert between HEX and RGB for CSS, or use HSL for dynamic color variations
- Design Tools: Different design software uses different formats. Convert colors when switching between tools
- CSS Development: Use HSL for easier color manipulation or convert existing HEX codes to RGB
- Programming: Convert colors when working with different libraries or APIs that require specific formats
- Color Theory: Understand color relationships by converting to HSL, which makes hue, saturation, and lightness explicit
- Accessibility: Convert colors to analyze contrast ratios and ensure readability
- Brand Consistency: Ensure color values are consistent across different platforms and formats
- Color Manipulation: Use HSL format to easily create lighter, darker, or more saturated variations of a color
Best Practices
Choose the Right Format
Use HEX for web development and CSS, RGB for precise color control, HSL when you need to create color variations, HSV for color pickers and image editing, and CMYK for print design. Each format serves different purposes in different contexts.
Validate Input Values
Ensure RGB values are between 0-255, HSL/HSV hue is between 0-360°, saturation and lightness/value are between 0-100%, and CMYK values are between 0-100%. HEX codes should be 6 characters after the # symbol.
Use HSL for Variations
HSL is particularly useful for creating color variations. Keep hue constant and adjust saturation or lightness to create lighter, darker, or more/less saturated versions of a color.
Consider Browser Support
All modern browsers support HEX, RGB, and HSL. However, some older browsers may have limited HSL support. Always test your colors across different browsers.
Maintain Precision
When converting between formats, be aware that some precision may be lost due to rounding. For critical color matching, verify the converted color visually.
Frequently Asked Questions
RGB represents colors as combinations of red, green, and blue light, which is how screens display colors. HSL represents colors using hue (the color itself), saturation (intensity), and lightness (brightness), which is more intuitive for humans to understand and manipulate.
Use HEX for web development and CSS (most common), RGB for precise control or when working with image editing software, and HSL when you need to create color variations or understand color relationships. The choice often depends on your workflow and tools.
This tool focuses on solid colors without transparency. All formats (HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK) represent opaque colors. If you need transparency, you can add an alpha channel manually when using the color values in CSS or other applications.
Color conversion involves mathematical calculations that may result in slight rounding differences. Additionally, different color spaces (sRGB, Adobe RGB, etc.) can affect how colors appear. For most practical purposes, the differences are negligible.
This tool currently requires 6-digit HEX codes (like #FF0000). 3-digit HEX codes are shorthand where each digit is doubled (e.g., #F00 = #FF0000). You can expand 3-digit codes manually before using the converter.
The conversions use standard mathematical formulas and are highly accurate. However, visual perception can vary based on your display, lighting conditions, and color profile settings. For critical color matching, always verify visually.
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) and HSV (Hue, Saturation, Value) are similar but different color models. HSL uses lightness, which represents the average of the maximum and minimum RGB values, while HSV uses value, which represents the maximum RGB value. HSV is more commonly used in color pickers and image editing software, while HSL is more intuitive for creating color variations in CSS.
Yes! This tool supports CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key/Black) format, which is essential for print design. CMYK is a subtractive color model used in professional printing. You can input CMYK values and convert them to all other formats, or convert from any format to CMYK.
Use RGB for digital displays (screens, web, digital design) and CMYK for print media (printing, physical materials). RGB is an additive color model (light-based), while CMYK is subtractive (ink-based). Converting between them is important when preparing designs for both digital and print.