What is a color scheme?

A color scheme is a set of colors chosen to work harmoniously together in a design. Good color schemes have clear relationships between their colors, defined by their positions on the color wheel.

Which color scheme is best for websites?

Analogous schemes (adjacent hues) feel cohesive and calm, good for content-heavy sites. Complementary schemes create contrast, good for landing pages. Monochromatic schemes are elegant and simple. The best choice depends on your brand and message.

What is an analogous color scheme?

An analogous scheme uses hues that sit next to each other on the color wheel. This generator gives five: your base color plus hues 30 and 60 degrees to either side, a 120-degree span that feels related without being flat.

Why do some colors in the scheme look brighter than others?

The schemes keep HSL saturation and lightness fixed while the hue rotates, but HSL lightness is not perceived brightness: at the same lightness, yellow and green look brighter than blue. Check text and background pairs with the contrast checker instead of relying on equal lightness numbers.

Color scheme generator

Create a complete color scheme from any starting color. Choose from five harmony types: complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic, or monochromatic. Each scheme generates 2–5 coordinated colors with hex values, plus RGB and HSL for the swatch you select. Copy individual swatches or all colors as CSS custom properties. All calculations run locally in your browser.

Base color

#3bf6af

#3bdff6

#3b82f6

#513bf6

#af3bf6

PALETTE TYPE

How it works

All color calculations use the HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) color space. The base color is converted from hex to HSL, and the hue is rotated by a fixed amount depending on the palette type (complementary: 180deg, triadic: 120deg/240deg, etc.). The adjusted hue values are converted back to RGB and then to hex for display. All arithmetic runs in JavaScript in your browser.

Processing runs in your browser

All processing happens locally in your browser tab. Our servers are not involved at any point.

Related operations

For lightening or darkening a single colour, try tints and shades. To convert any chosen swatch between HEX, RGB, and HSL, use the colour converter. For testing readable text colours on your palette, see the contrast checker.

Frequently asked questions

What is a color scheme?: A color scheme is a set of colors chosen to work harmoniously together in a design. Good color schemes have clear relationships between their colors, defined by their positions on the color wheel.
Which color scheme is best for websites?: Analogous schemes (adjacent hues) feel cohesive and calm, good for content-heavy sites. Complementary schemes create contrast, good for landing pages. Monochromatic schemes are elegant and simple. The best choice depends on your brand and message.
What is an analogous color scheme?: An analogous scheme uses hues that sit next to each other on the color wheel. This generator gives five: your base color plus hues 30 and 60 degrees to either side, a 120-degree span that feels related without being flat.
Why do some colors in the scheme look brighter than others?: The schemes keep HSL saturation and lightness fixed while the hue rotates, but HSL lightness is not perceived brightness: at the same lightness, yellow and green look brighter than blue. Check text and background pairs with the contrast checker instead of relying on equal lightness numbers.

Last reviewed September 30, 2026

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Background reading: Complete guide to color tools
Step by step: Build a color system for a design project