Generators
Color Palette Generator
Generate beautiful 5-color palettes with harmony modes and lockable swatches.
Lock a color to keep it while regenerating. Press Space to generate a new palette.
What is the Color Palette Generator?
Picking colors that work well together is one of the hardest parts of design. This free color palette generator creates harmonious five-color palettes using real color theory — analogous, complementary, triadic and shade relationships — so your website, logo or presentation always looks intentional. Click any swatch to copy its hex code, and lock colors you love while you reshuffle the rest.
How to use it
- Choose a palette mode: Random for surprises, Analogous for calm neighbors on the color wheel, Complementary for bold contrast, Triadic for vibrant balance, or Shades for a monochrome scale.
- Click Generate palette — or just press the Spacebar.
- Click any swatch to copy its hex code to your clipboard.
- Tick the lock checkbox under a color you want to keep, then regenerate to explore variations around it.
Key features
- Five color-theory modes built on the HSL color wheel.
- Per-swatch locking so favorite colors survive regeneration.
- One-click hex copy from any swatch.
- Spacebar shortcut for fast iteration.
- Runs fully offline in your browser after the page loads.
Real-world use cases
- Choosing a brand color scheme for a new business or website.
- Finding accent colors that pair with an existing logo.
- Building slide decks and social media graphics with consistent colors.
- Picking UI colors for buttons, backgrounds and highlights in app design.
Practical tips
- Use the 60-30-10 rule: 60% dominant color, 30% secondary, 10% accent.
- Lock your brand's main color first, then generate supporting colors around it.
- Check text contrast — light text needs a dark background and vice versa for readability.
- Shades mode is perfect when you need a monochrome, premium-looking scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between analogous and complementary palettes?
Analogous palettes use colors next to each other on the color wheel, giving a calm, cohesive feel. Complementary palettes use opposites, which creates bold, high-energy contrast.
How do I use a hex code in my website?
Click a swatch to copy its hex code (like #C9A227), then paste it into your CSS as a color value or into any design tool's color picker.
Can I keep one color and change the rest?
Yes. Tick the lock checkbox under any swatch and it stays fixed while the other four regenerate around it — ideal for building around an existing brand color.
Why do some palettes look better than others?
Harmony is subjective and context matters. If a palette feels off, try another mode or lock the one color you like and regenerate — iteration is the whole point.
Are the colors free to use commercially?
Yes. Hex color values are not copyrightable, so you can use any generated palette in client work, products and branding without attribution.