Color Converter

Convert between Hex, RGB, HSL, and CMYK color formats with live preview

What is a Color Converter?

A color converter is an essential tool for designers, developers, and digital artists that seamlessly converts colors between different format systems including Hex, RGB, HSL, and CMYK. Each color format serves specific purposes: Hex codes for web development, RGB for digital displays, HSL for intuitive color manipulation, and CMYK for print design. This comprehensive converter ensures accurate color translation across all platforms and media.

Our advanced color converter provides real-time conversion with live color preview, making it perfect for web developers coding CSS styles, graphic designers working across digital and print media, UI/UX designers creating consistent color schemes, photographers editing images, and marketers maintaining brand color consistency. The tool handles complex color space mathematics automatically, ensuring precise color matching across different devices and output methods.

Key features include instant conversion between all major color formats, visual color picker for intuitive selection, accessibility contrast checking, color palette generation, and support for transparency values. Whether you're designing websites, creating print materials, developing mobile apps, or working on digital art projects, this converter streamlines your workflow and ensures color accuracy across all your creative work.

Input Color

Hex, RGB, or color picker

Convert

Process color values

All Formats

Hex, RGB, HSL, CMYK

Color Conversion

Popular Colors

#FF5733
Vibrant Orange Red
HEX
#FF5733
RGB
rgb(255, 87, 51)
HSL
hsl(11, 100%, 60%)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 66%, 80%, 0%)

CSS Code Snippets

Background Color
background-color: #FF5733;
Text Color
color: #FF5733;
Border Color
border: 2px solid #FF5733;
Box Shadow
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px #FF5733;

Color Harmonies

Complementary
Triadic
Analogous
Monochromatic

Color Theory & Conversion Formulas

Hex to RGB Conversion

Hexadecimal to Decimal:
R = parseInt(hex.substring(1,3), 16)
G = parseInt(hex.substring(3,5), 16)
B = parseInt(hex.substring(5,7), 16)

Converts 2-digit hex values (00-FF) to decimal values (0-255) for each color channel.

Wikipedia - Hexadecimal System
RGB to Hexadecimal:
hex = "#" + ((1 << 24) + (r << 16) + (g << 8) + b).toString(16).slice(1)

Bitwise operations to combine RGB values into a single hex string with leading zeros.

RGB to HSL Conversion

Normalize RGB Values:
r' = r/255, g' = g/255, b' = b/255

Convert RGB values from 0-255 range to 0-1 range for calculations.

Calculate Lightness:
L = (max(r',g',b') + min(r',g',b')) ÷ 2

Lightness is the average of the maximum and minimum RGB values.

Wikipedia - HSL Color Space
Calculate Saturation:
S = (max − min) ÷ (2 − max − min) if L > 0.5
S = (max − min) ÷ (max + min) if L ≤ 0.5

Saturation formula depends on lightness value to maintain perceptual uniformity.

Calculate Hue:
H = 60° × ((g'−b')÷(max−min) + 0) if max = r'
H = 60° × ((b'−r')÷(max−min) + 2) if max = g'
H = 60° × ((r'−g')÷(max−min) + 4) if max = b'

Hue calculation based on which color channel has the maximum value.

RGB to CMYK Conversion

Calculate Key (Black):
K = 1 − max(r/255, g/255, b/255)

Key (black) is the complement of the maximum RGB value.

Calculate CMY Values:
C = (1 − r/255 − K) ÷ (1 − K)
M = (1 − g/255 − K) ÷ (1 − K)
Y = (1 − b/255 − K) ÷ (1 − K)

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow calculated after removing black component.

Color Science References

CIE (International Commission on Illumination)

International standards for colorimetry and color space definitions.

CIE Official Website
W3C CSS Color Module

Web standards for color representation and conversion algorithms.

W3C CSS Color Specification
Adobe Color Science

Industry-standard color management and conversion methodologies.

Adobe Color Management
Pantone Color Institute

Professional color standards and color theory research.

Pantone Color Institute

Color Harmony Theory

Complementary Colors:

Colors opposite on the color wheel (180° apart). Create high contrast and visual impact.

Triadic Colors:

Three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel (120° apart). Provide vibrant yet balanced palettes.

Analogous Colors:

Colors adjacent on the color wheel (30° apart). Create harmonious, pleasing combinations.

Monochromatic Colors:

Variations of a single hue using different saturation and lightness values.

Technical Specifications

Color Precision:

24-bit color depth supporting 16,777,216 unique colors (256³ combinations).

Hex Format:

Standard 6-digit hexadecimal notation (#RRGGBB) with optional 3-digit shorthand (#RGB).

RGB Range:

Each channel ranges from 0-255 (8-bit) providing 256 intensity levels per color.

HSL Ranges:

Hue: 0-360°, Saturation: 0-100%, Lightness: 0-100% for intuitive color manipulation.

CMYK Print Accuracy:

Conversion optimized for print but may vary due to paper type, ink, and printer calibration.

Browser Compatibility:

All major browsers support these color formats with consistent rendering across devices.