Color Scheme Generator
Create stunning color palettes instantly with our advanced color scheme creator. Choose from complementary, analogous, triadic, and more harmony types based on proven color theory principles.
🎨 Base Color Selection
🎯 Color Harmony Type
📋 Export Your Palette
Understanding Color Harmonies
Complementary Colors
Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel, creating maximum contrast and vibrant visual impact. This harmony type produces bold, energetic designs perfect for grabbing attention. Examples include red and green, blue and orange, or yellow and purple.
Analogous Colors
Analogous color schemes use colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. These harmonies create serene, comfortable designs with smooth color transitions. One color typically dominates while the others support and enhance the overall composition.
Triadic Colors
Triadic color schemes employ three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel (120° apart). This harmony offers vibrant contrast while maintaining balance, making it popular among artists and designers. Balance is achieved by letting one color dominate while using the others as accents.
Tetradic Colors
Tetradic schemes use four colors arranged into two complementary pairs, offering the richest variety of colors. While challenging to balance, these schemes can produce stunning, dynamic results. Success requires choosing a dominant color and balancing warm and cool tones carefully.
How to Use the Color Scheme Generator
Select Your Base Color
Choose your starting color using the color picker or enter a specific HEX code. This becomes the foundation of your entire color scheme.
Choose Harmony Type
Select from seven harmony types based on color theory principles. Each creates different moods and visual impacts for your design.
Generate and Customize
Click Generate to create your palette. Lock colors you love and regenerate others. Each color card shows HEX, RGB, and HSL values for easy implementation.
Export Your Palette
Copy your color codes in multiple formats (HEX, RGB, HSL, or CSS variables) with one click. Perfect for implementing in your design projects immediately.
Color Theory Principles
Color theory provides a logical structure for understanding how colors interact and create visual harmony. The color wheel organizes hues in a circular format, showing relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
Primary Colors
Red, yellow, and blue form the foundation of traditional color theory. These pigment colors cannot be created by mixing other colors and serve as the basis for all other hues.
Secondary Colors
Green, orange, and purple result from mixing two primary colors together. These colors sit between primaries on the color wheel and expand the available palette.
Tertiary Colors
Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green, and yellow-green form when mixing primary and secondary colors. These create nuanced, sophisticated color combinations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good color scheme?
A good color scheme balances contrast with harmony, creates appropriate mood for your project, maintains accessibility standards, and uses a dominant color with supporting accents. Color harmony ensures colors work together rather than clash.
How many colors should I use in my design?
Most effective designs use 3-5 colors: one dominant color (60%), a secondary color (30%), and accent colors (10%). This 60-30-10 rule creates balanced, professional-looking designs without overwhelming viewers.
Can I use these color schemes commercially?
Yes, color schemes generated by this tool are free to use in any personal or commercial project. Colors themselves cannot be copyrighted, making them available for unlimited use in your designs.
What's the difference between HEX, RGB, and HSL?
HEX uses hexadecimal notation (e.g., #3498db), RGB specifies red-green-blue values (0-255), and HSL defines hue-saturation-lightness. All represent the same colors but suit different use cases in design and development.
