liminfoColor Harmony Palette
Free web tool: Color Harmony Palette
Complementary
#3b82f6
#f6af3c
Analogous
#3ce0f6
#3b82f6
#523cf6
Triadic
#3b82f6
#f63c83
#83f63c
Split-Complementary
#3b82f6
#f6523c
#e0f63c
Tetradic
#3b82f6
#f63ce0
#f6af3c
#3cf652
About Color Harmony Palette
The Color Harmony Palette Generator is a free browser-based design tool that derives five classical color harmony schemes from any hex color you provide. Enter a hex code or pick a color visually, and the tool instantly computes complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, and tetradic palettes using HSL color space mathematics — no server, no delay.
Designers, front-end developers, illustrators, brand identity creators, and UI/UX practitioners use color harmony to ensure visual coherence. A well-chosen palette makes interfaces feel intentional and polished. This tool is ideal for picking website color schemes, building brand guidelines, choosing illustration palettes, and exploring how a single seed color expands into a full design system.
All color math is performed via HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) arithmetic. The tool converts your input hex to HSL, applies fixed hue offsets for each harmony type (e.g., 180° for complementary, ±30° for analogous, 120°/240° for triadic), and converts the results back to hex for display. Saturation and lightness are preserved from your base color, so the derived colors always feel tonally consistent.
Key Features
- Five harmony schemes: Complementary (180°), Analogous (±30°), Triadic (120°/240°), Split-Complementary (150°/210°), and Tetradic (90°/180°/270°)
- Real-time palette updates as you type a hex code or drag the native color picker
- HSL-based calculation that preserves the saturation and lightness of your base color across all derived hues
- Click any individual color swatch to copy its hex code to the clipboard instantly
- Copy entire palette button that copies all hex codes for a harmony scheme as a comma-separated list
- Color picker input synced with the hex text field for flexible input — use either method interchangeably
- 100% client-side computation using useMemo — no network requests, instant response
- Dark mode and responsive layout for comfortable use across all screen sizes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is color harmony in design?
Color harmony refers to the pleasing arrangement of colors based on their relationships on the color wheel. Colors that are harmonious share a logical geometric relationship — such as being opposite (complementary), adjacent (analogous), or evenly spaced (triadic). These relationships create visual balance and aesthetic coherence in design work.
What is a complementary color scheme?
A complementary scheme pairs two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel (180° apart in hue). The contrast between them is maximum, creating vibrant, high-energy combinations. Common examples are blue and orange, or red and green. Use this scheme for high-contrast interfaces or bold accent colors.
What is an analogous color scheme?
An analogous scheme uses three colors that sit adjacent on the color wheel (±30° from the base hue). These schemes feel harmonious, serene, and natural because the colors are closely related. They are popular in nature photography, calm UI designs, and illustrations where cohesion matters more than contrast.
What is a triadic color scheme?
A triadic scheme uses three colors evenly spaced 120° apart on the color wheel. Triadic palettes are vibrant and balanced — each color has a distinct identity while the three together feel unified. This scheme is common in children's media, playful branding, and interfaces that need variety without losing harmony.
What is the difference between split-complementary and complementary?
A complementary scheme uses two colors 180° apart. A split-complementary scheme uses your base color plus two colors flanking its complement at ±30° (150° and 210° from the base). This provides similar contrast to complementary but with more visual variety and typically less tension, making it easier to work with in practice.
What is a tetradic (square) color scheme?
A tetradic scheme uses four colors evenly spaced 90° apart on the color wheel. It provides the most color variety of any harmony scheme and allows for rich, multi-hue compositions. It requires careful balance — typically one dominant color with the others as accents — to avoid visual chaos.
Why does the tool use HSL instead of RGB for color math?
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) separates color perception into three independent axes, making hue rotation trivial: to find the complement of any color, add 180 to the hue value. RGB does not have this property — color relationships are non-linear in RGB space. By converting to HSL for math and back to hex for display, the tool applies color theory correctly and predictably.
Can I use this tool with non-hex color inputs like RGB or HSL?
The tool currently accepts hex codes (e.g., #3b82f6) directly typed or selected via the native color picker. If you have an RGB or HSL value, convert it to hex first using a color converter. The color picker input handles the conversion from the visual color wheel to hex automatically.