Color Palette Generator

Using a Generated Palette in a Design Workflow

A generated palette serves as a starting point for establishing a visual theme. Here is a practical workflow for using this tool:

1. Generate a palette: Press the Spacebar or the Generate button to create a new set of colors.
2. Lock useful colors: If a generated color fits your needs, click the lock icon to keep it in place.
3. Regenerate remaining colors: Generate new colors to fill the unlocked slots until you find combinations that work for your project.
4. Adjust the number of colors: Use the add and remove buttons to scale your palette between 3 and 8 colors.
5. Copy and export: Copy individual HEX codes or export the entire palette as CSS or JSON.
6. Check accessibility: The generator does not guarantee that foreground and background combinations meet accessibility standards. Run your final color pairings through a contrast checker to ensure readability.

A generated palette is a starting point. It should be evaluated and adjusted as needed to ensure it meets the specific visual and accessibility requirements of your project.

How to Use This Tool

Common Use Cases for Generated Palettes

• Website and app interfaces: Plan a primary, secondary, and accent color system before writing CSS. Export directly as custom properties for development.
• Prototypes: Quickly apply color schemes to wireframes and prototypes to see how they look in context.
• Presentation themes: Generate a cohesive 3–4 color scheme so your slides look intentional rather than using default template colors.
• JSON-based configuration: Copy color arrays directly into JSON files for design tokens or app configuration.
• Design exploration: Generate multiple random palettes to explore different visual directions before committing to a final choice.

For backgrounds that need more depth, pair your flat palette colors with a gradient generator to create smooth transitions between your tones.

How to Implement Generated Palettes in CSS

The fastest way to use a generated palette is through CSS custom properties. Click "Copy CSS" in the toolbar above, then paste the output into your stylesheet. Here's what the result looks like in a real project:

/* Paste the exported variables into :root */
:root {
  --color-1: #3B82F6;
  --color-2: #10B981;
  --color-3: #F59E0B;
  --color-4: #EF4444;
  --color-5: #8B5CF6;
}

/* Reference them throughout your styles */
body {
  background-color: var(--color-1);
  color: white;
}

.card {
  background-color: var(--color-2);
  border: 2px solid var(--color-3);
}

.btn-primary {
  background-color: var(--color-5);
}

/* Dark mode override — swap the palette */
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
  :root {
    --color-1: #1E3A5F;
    --color-2: #065F46;
    --color-3: #92400E;
    --color-4: #991B1B;
    --color-5: #5B21B6;
  }
}

With this pattern, changing your site's color scheme means updating just the variables in :root. Every component that references the variables updates automatically. CSS custom properties allow the same color values to be reused across multiple selectors and updated centrally. For a deeper explanation, the MDN guide to CSS custom properties covers edge cases and best practices.

Need to convert a hex code to RGB, HSL, or another format before using it? The color converter handles instant format translation.

Frequently Asked Questions