Color Palette Generator
Generate tints, shades & matching color schemes.
100% private — runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Tints & shades
Complementary
Analogous
Triadic
Tip: click any swatch to copy its HEX code.
How to use the Color Palette Generator
- 1Choose a base color
Type a HEX code or pick one with the color picker.
- 2Explore the schemes
See tints, shades, complementary, analogous and triadic palettes.
- 3Copy the colors
Click any swatch to copy its HEX code to your clipboard.
- 4Apply to your design
Use the harmony that fits — analogous for calm, complementary for contrast.
Free online color palette generator
This color palette generator builds a complete color scheme from a single base color. It uses classic color-theory relationships to suggest harmonious combinations, plus a full scale of tints and shades — everything you need to design a consistent UI, brand or illustration.
Color harmonies explained
- Complementary — opposite hues for bold, high-contrast pairings.
- Analogous — neighboring hues for a calm, cohesive feel.
- Triadic — three evenly spaced hues for a balanced yet colorful scheme.
- Tints & shades — lighter and darker versions of your color for depth.
How to use a palette in practice
A common approach is the 60-30-10 rule: a dominant color for 60% of the design, a secondary color for 30%, and an accent for the remaining 10%. Pick your dominant from the tints-and-shades scale, a secondary from the analogous set, and use a complementary color as the attention-grabbing accent on buttons and links.
Private and instant
All color math runs in your browser, so palettes update the moment you change the base color — nothing is uploaded, and it works offline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this color palette generator work?
Enter a base HEX color and the tool derives matching colors using color-wheel relationships — tints and shades of your color, plus complementary, analogous and triadic schemes. Click any swatch to copy its HEX code.
What is a complementary color scheme?
Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart). They create high contrast and vibrant, energetic pairings — great for calls to action and accents that need to stand out.
What are analogous colors?
Analogous colors sit next to each other on the wheel (about 30° apart). They feel harmonious and calm, which makes them ideal for backgrounds, gradients and cohesive brand looks.
What is a triadic color scheme?
A triadic scheme uses three colors evenly spaced around the wheel (120° apart). It is balanced yet colorful — usually one dominant color with the other two as accents.
What is the difference between a tint and a shade?
A tint is your color mixed toward white (lighter); a shade is mixed toward black (darker). The tints-and-shades row gives you a ready-made scale for hovers, borders, backgrounds and text on the same hue.
Are the generated colors accessible?
The schemes give you a starting point, but always check text-on-background contrast for accessibility. Darker shades work well for text on light tints, and vice versa; verify important text meets WCAG contrast ratios.