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Color Converter

Convert between HEX, RGB, and HSL with live color preview.

HEX
RGB
HSL

Understanding Color Formats

Colors on screens are created by combining red, green, and blue light. Different color formats represent this combination in different ways, each with advantages for specific use cases.

  • HEX (#RRGGBB) — Most common in web development. Compact 6-digit notation. Each pair is a channel value from 00-FF.
  • RGB (r, g, b) — Direct channel values from 0-255. Intuitive for programmatic color manipulation.
  • HSL (h, s%, l%) — Hue (color wheel angle), saturation (intensity), lightness (brightness). Best for creating harmonious color palettes.

Color Tips for Developers

  • Design systems — Use HSL to create consistent shade scales (same hue, vary lightness)
  • Accessibility — Ensure at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio between text and background (WCAG AA)
  • Dark mode — Don't just invert colors. Reduce saturation and use darker backgrounds with lighter text
  • CSS variables — Store colors as custom properties for easy theme switching

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between HEX, RGB, and HSL?
HEX uses a # followed by 6 hexadecimal digits (#FF5733). RGB defines red, green, and blue channels from 0-255 (rgb(255, 87, 51)). HSL uses hue (0-360 degrees), saturation (0-100%), and lightness (0-100%) (hsl(14, 100%, 60%)). All three describe the same colors in different ways.
Which color format should I use in CSS?
HEX is the most common and compact format. HSL is better when you need to create color variations (change lightness or saturation while keeping the hue). RGB is useful when you need alpha transparency (rgba). Modern CSS also supports oklch and oklab for perceptually uniform colors.
How do I add transparency to a color?
Use rgba(255, 87, 51, 0.5) for 50% transparency in RGB, or hsla(14, 100%, 60%, 0.5) in HSL. In modern CSS, you can also use #FF573380 (8-digit HEX with alpha) or the color() function.
What is a color picker shortcut in browsers?
In Chrome DevTools, click any color value in the Styles panel to open the color picker. You can also use the EyeDropper API in modern browsers to pick colors from anywhere on screen.
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