Color Palette Generator
Generate beautiful 5-color palettes from any base colour using six harmony rules - complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic, and monochromatic. Lock individual colours you love and regenerate the rest with one click. Export your palette as CSS Custom Properties, SCSS variables, or Tailwind CSS config. Fully private, 100% free, and no signup required.
Base Colors
Harmony Rules
Primary
Light
Complement
Dark Comp
Accent
CSS Custom Properties
:root {
--primary: #3c83f6;
--secondary: #92b5ed;
--accent: #f6af3c;
--complement: #c37c09;
--neutral: #0563fa;
}Quick Copy
Why Use Our Color Palette Generator?
Instant Palette Generation
The color palette generator instantly creates 5-color palettes from any base color using six harmony rules - complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic, and monochromatic. Change the base color or harmony rule and the palette updates immediately with no button to press.
Lock & Regenerate Colors
Lock individual colors you like and regenerate the rest with one click. The color palette generator preserves your locked colors while applying new harmony variations to the unlocked ones, giving you complete creative control over the final palette.
100% Private - No Upload
All palette generation happens locally in your browser. Your colour values never leave your device and are never sent to any server - safe for client projects and proprietary design systems.
Free & No Limits
Generate unlimited palettes with no signup, no subscription, and no usage caps. The color palette generator is completely free forever with no ads blocking the interface. Export as CSS, SCSS, or Tailwind at no charge.
Common Use Cases for Color Palette Generator
Brand Identity Design
Brand designers use the color palette generator to build complete brand palettes from a primary brand color. Generate complementary and triadic palettes, lock accent colors, and export the final palette directly as CSS variables for use in brand guidelines and style guides.
Frontend Development
Frontend developers use the color palette generator to create design token palettes. Export as CSS custom properties, SCSS variables, or Tailwind CSS config - just copy and paste into your project. The lock feature lets you pin brand colors while exploring variations.
UI & Web Design
UI designers use the color palette generator to quickly explore different color schemes for web layouts, dashboards, and mobile apps. Test different harmony rules against your brand color and lock/unlock colors to fine-tune the perfect palette.
Design System Creation
Design system engineers use the color palette generator to generate systematic color scales. The monochromatic harmony produces consistent lightness steps, while the tetradic rule creates complex palettes for comprehensive design token libraries.
Tailwind CSS Projects
Tailwind developers use the color palette generator to create custom color configs that extend the default color palette. Export directly as Tailwind config format and paste into tailwind.config.js for seamless integration with existing projects.
Presentation & Marketing
Marketing teams use the color palette generator to build consistently themed color palettes for presentations, landing pages, and email campaigns. Lock brand-mandated colors and regenerate harmonious accents for each campaign.
Understanding Color Palette Generation
What is a Color Palette Generator?
A color palette generator creates a set of harmonious colours from a single base colour using established colour theory rules. Instead of manually picking each colour, you enter one base colour and the generator uses harmony relationships - such as complementary (180° opposite hues), analogous (adjacent hues), or triadic (evenly spaced hues) - to produce a balanced 5-color palette. Our color palette generator also lets you lock individual colours you love and regenerate the rest, giving you complete creative control.
How Our Color Palette Generator Works
- Enter a base color: Type a HEX colour value (e.g. #3B82F6), use the colour picker, or click one of the sample colour chips. The color palette generator uses this colour as the foundation for the palette.
- Choose a harmony rule: Select from six harmony types - Complementary, Analogous, Triadic, Split-Complementary, Tetradic, or Monochromatic. Each rule produces a different 5-color palette from your base colour by applying specific hue angle relationships.
- Lock, regenerate, and export:Click the lock icon on any colour to preserve it during regeneration. Hit Regenerate to refresh unlocked colours with new variations. When you're happy, export the palette as CSS Custom Properties, SCSS Variables, or Tailwind CSS config - all processing runs locally in your browser.
Six Harmony Rules Explained
- Complementary: Base colour + its exact opposite on the colour wheel (180° apart) plus three accent variants. Creates maximum contrast - ideal for bold, attention-grabbing designs and call-to-action elements.
- Analogous: Five colours adjacent on the wheel (±30° and ±60°). Creates smooth, harmonious transitions - perfect for gradients, backgrounds, and nature-inspired designs.
- Triadic: Three evenly spaced colours (120° intervals) with accent variants. Vibrant and balanced - great for versatile palettes that work across primary, secondary, and accent roles.
- Split-Complementary: Base colour plus two colours adjacent to its complement (±30° from complement). High contrast with less tension than straight complementary - a safe choice for most design projects.
- Tetradic (Rectangle): Four colours at 90° intervals forming two complementary pairs. Rich and complex - ideal for sophisticated multi-colour designs but requires careful balance.
- Monochromatic: Single hue at five different lightness levels from lightest to darkest. Elegant and cohesive - always works perfectly for clean, professional designs.
Making the Most of Lock & Regenerate
The lock & regeneratefeature is the most powerful tool in the color palette generator. Start by generating a palette with your preferred harmony rule, then lock the colours that feel right - typically the primary brand colour and any accent colours you've already committed to. Click Regenerate to get new variations for the unlocked colours while your locked choices stay exactly as they are. This iterative process lets you explore dozens of palette variations in seconds without losing work. Once you're satisfied, use the export panel to copy the palette in your preferred format - CSS for web projects, SCSS for Sass-based workflows, or Tailwind config for Tailwind CSS projects.
Related Color Tools
Color Harmonies Explorer
Interactive color wheel that visualizes all seven harmony relationships. Click to pick hues and see complementary, analogous, and triadic colors highlighted on the wheel.
Random Color Generator
Generate random colors with HEX, RGB, HSL, CMYK, and HWB values. Lock hue, saturation, or lightness. Batch generate up to 50 colors at once.
Tint & Shade Generator
Generate tints (mixed with white) and shades (mixed with black) from any base color. Export as CSS variables or Tailwind config. 5-12 steps with live preview.
Color Contrast Checker
Calculate WCAG 2.1 contrast ratio and check AA/AAA compliance for normal text, large text, and UI components. Live preview with HEX and RGB input.
Frequently Asked Questions About Color Palette Generator
A color palette generator creates a set of harmonious colours from a single base colour using colour theory rules. Instead of manually picking each colour, you enter one base HEX colour and choose a harmony rule - complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, tetradic, or monochromatic - and the generator produces a balanced 5-color palette instantly. Our color palette generator also lets you lock individual colours and regenerate the rest.
Click the lock icon on any colour swatch to lock it in place. Locked colours will not change when you click Regenerate. This lets you keep a primary brand colour or a favourite accent while exploring different variations for the remaining colours. Click the lock icon again to unlock a colour.
Complementary uses opposite colours (180° apart) for maximum contrast. Analogous uses adjacent colours for smooth transitions. Triadic uses evenly spaced colours (120° apart) for vibrant balance. Split-complementary uses the base plus two adjacent to its complement for high contrast with less tension. Tetradic uses two complementary pairs for rich complexity. Monochromatic uses a single hue at varying lightness for elegant cohesion.
Use the Export Palette section at the bottom of the tool. Choose between CSS Custom Properties (:root variables), SCSS variables ($prefix), or Tailwind CSS config format. Click Copy to copy the code to your clipboard and paste directly into your project files.
Yes. All palette generation happens 100% client-side in your browser. Your colours are never sent to any server, never stored, and never transmitted anywhere. The color palette generator is completely private and processes everything locally on your device.
Yes. The color palette generator is 100% free with no signup required, no premium features, and no usage limits. Generate unlimited palettes, lock and regenerate as many times as you need, and export to any format without restrictions.
You can export your palette in three formats: CSS Custom Properties (:root { --primary: #hex; ... }), SCSS Variables ($primary: #hex; ...), and Tailwind CSS config (module.exports = { theme: { extend: { colors: { ... } } } }). Each format includes descriptive variable names based on the colour role.
While the color palette generator applies harmony rules automatically, you can use the lock feature to keep colours you like and regenerate the others. For further customization, copy the HEX values from any colour chip and use them in your preferred design tool, or combine multiple harmony rule palettes by locking colours from each one.