Color Palette Generator
Generate beautiful color palettes from a base color
Color Palette Generator takes one base HEX color and builds a coordinated palette by varying its lightness while keeping the same hue and saturation — producing lighter and darker shades that stay visually related to your original color.
How to use Color Palette Generator
- 1
Enter a base color as a HEX value.
- 2
Click "Generate" to build the palette.
- 3
Review the set of related shades produced.
- 4
Copy any HEX value you want to use.
Everything you need to know about color palettes
What makes a color palette "work"?
A good palette isn't a random set of colors you like — it's built around relationships: a primary color, one or two accents that complement it, and enough neutral tones (grays, off-whites) to give the design room to breathe. Generating a palette from a single base color keeps those relationships mathematically consistent instead of guessing.
When you actually need this
- Starting a new design or brand without existing color guidelines.
- Finding colors that complement an existing brand color for a new section or campaign.
- Breaking out of a color rut when everything you pick manually starts looking the same.
Once you have a palette
Grab exact values with HEX to RGB for whatever format your CSS or design tool needs, and use Gradient Generator to build smooth transitions between two of your chosen colors.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does this generate complementary or contrasting colors?
No — it generates a monochromatic palette, meaning every color shares the same hue and saturation as your base color, just at different lightness levels. For contrasting colors, you'd pick a different hue manually.
What format does the base color need to be in?
A valid HEX value, either 3 or 6 digits (like #7c3aed or #7ca), with or without the # symbol.
Why would I want a monochromatic palette instead of varied colors?
Monochromatic palettes are a common, safe choice for UI design since every shade naturally works together — useful for things like button states, backgrounds, or borders that need to feel related to a primary brand color.
Does this tool send my color to a server?
Yes — it's sent to our servers to compute the palette and the result is returned to you; nothing is stored.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes — completely free, with no signup required.