COLOR PALETTE GENERATOR
Create Beautiful Color Schemes Instantly
Create Beautiful Color Schemes Instantly
Click the "Generate" button or press the Space key to create a new random color palette. Each generation creates a harmonious set of colors based on your selected harmony mode.
Color harmony modes are different mathematical approaches to creating pleasing color combinations:
For an in-depth explanation of when to use each harmony mode, see our Complete Color Theory Guide.
The Accessibility filter (in the top control panel) ensures all generated colors meet specific WCAG contrast standards for adjacent colors in the palette:
This feature is perfect when creating palettes where colors will be used next to each other (like UI elements, data visualizations, or adjacent sections). The generator will try up to 50 attempts to find colors meeting your requirements, falling back to the best available option if needed.
Click the lock icon at the top of any color swatch to lock it. Locked colors remain unchanged when you generate new palettes. You can also press the number keys 1 through 8 to lock/unlock colors by position. The lock icon turns solid when a color is locked.
Click the refresh icon (circular arrows) on the left side of any color swatch to regenerate just that color while keeping all others unchanged. This is useful when you like most of your palette but want to explore alternatives for one specific color. The refresh respects your selected harmony mode and accessibility filter settings. Note: You cannot refresh a locked color - unlock it first if you want to refresh it.
These are WCAG contrast ratio badges that show how well each color contrasts against the adjacent color in the palette (the color before it). They help ensure your color choices work well together:
The first color shows its contrast against both white and black backgrounds (using the better of the two). Hover over (desktop) or tap (mobile) these badges to see detailed explanations about contrast ratios and accessibility standards.
Click directly on any color swatch to open a color picker. You can manually select any color you want, and the palette will update instantly. The edited color remains unlocked unless you manually lock it.
Each color displays three formats that you can copy:
Click any format to copy it to your clipboard instantly.
You have several options:
PDF exports include comprehensive color information perfect for client presentations and documentation:
You can export the current palette, individual palettes from history, or your entire history as a multi-page PDF document.
Yes! Click the history icon (clock) in the top bar or press H to view your last 10 generated palettes. History is automatically saved to your browser's local storage.
Each history item shows:
You can also export your entire history as a multi-page PDF by clicking the PDF icon in the history modal header.
Use the "Colors" dropdown in the top control panel to select between 2 and 8 colors. You can also press + to increase or - to decrease the color count. When you change the count, a new palette is automatically generated.
The following keyboard shortcuts speed up your workflow:
Absolutely! The Color Palette Generator is fully responsive and touch-optimized. All features work on mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. On mobile, tap the contrast badges to see accessibility information (auto-hides after 5 seconds). The layout automatically adapts to your screen size for the best experience.
Yes, the Color Palette Generator is completely free to use with no registration required. There are no limits on palette generation, exports, or features. The tool is ad-supported to keep it free for everyone while maintaining development and hosting costs.
Colors are generated using the HSL color space (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) rather than RGB, which allows for more perceptually harmonious results. The generator applies smart constraints (saturation 50-100%, lightness 30-80%) to avoid overly dull or neon colors. Each harmony mode uses mathematical relationships on the color wheel to ensure colors work well together.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) contrast ratios ensure your designs are readable for everyone, including people with visual impairments, color blindness, or viewing screens in bright sunlight. Meeting AA standards (4.5:1) is required for ADA compliance and recommended for professional web design. AAA standards (7:1) provide even better accessibility for body text and small fonts.
Yes! All generated color palettes are free to use for personal and commercial projects without attribution. The colors themselves cannot be copyrighted, so you own full rights to any palette you create with this tool.