Color Wheel
Create perfect color palettes with our interactive color wheel. Select a base color and explore complementary, analogous, triadic, and other harmonies to elevate your designs.
Color Wheel
Color Values
All Color Harmonies
Analogous
Complementary
Triadic
Tetradic
Split Complementary
Color Variations & Shades (12 Steps)
💡 Tip: Click on any color swatch to copy its HEX code
Understanding Color Harmonies
Analogous Colors
Colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel. They create harmonious, pleasing compositions with soft transitions.
Complementary Colors
Colors opposite each other on the wheel. They create high contrast and vibrant compositions perfect for striking designs.
Triadic Colors
Three colors equally spaced on the wheel. They provide balance and vibrancy while maintaining harmony in your palette.
Tetradic Colors
Four colors equally spaced on the wheel. They offer rich complexity and versatility for intricate design projects.
Split Complementary
A base color plus the two colors adjacent to its complement. Creates balance with less tension than pure complementary.
Color Variations
Tints (lighter) and shades (darker) of your base color. Essential for creating depth and hierarchy in design.
How to Use This Tool
- 1. Select Base Color: Click on the color wheel or use the color picker to choose your starting color.
- 2. View All Harmonies: Explore all 5 color harmony types displayed at once - analogous, complementary, triadic, tetradic, and split-complementary.
- 3. Explore Variations: View tints and shades of your base color for creating depth and hierarchy.
- 4. Copy Colors: Click the "Copy" button next to any color to copy it in HEX format to your clipboard.
- 5. View Formats: See your colors in HEX, RGB, and HSL formats for easy implementation in your projects.
FAQs
What is a color harmony?
A color harmony is a combination of colors that work well together visually. The Color Wheel tool helps you find harmonious color combinations based on color theory principles, ensuring your designs have visual balance and appeal.
What's the difference between the 5 harmony types?
Each harmony type creates a different visual effect: Analogous colors create calm and harmony; Complementary creates high contrast; Triadic provides vibrant balance; Tetradic offers rich complexity; and Split-Complementary balances contrast with harmony.
How do I use tints and shades in design?
Tints (lighter versions) are great for backgrounds and subtle accents, while shades (darker versions) work well for text, borders, and emphasis. Using variations of your base color creates depth and visual hierarchy in your design.
Can I use these colors for web design?
Absolutely! The Color Wheel tool provides colors in HEX, RGB, and HSL formats - all compatible with CSS and web development. Simply copy the format you need and paste it into your stylesheets.
What does saturation mean on the color wheel?
Saturation measures color intensity. In the Color Wheel tool, the distance from the center controls saturation - colors near the center are desaturated (more gray), while colors at the edge are fully saturated (vivid).
Are there any color accessibility considerations?
When using color harmonies in UI design, ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors. We recommend using our Color Contrast Checker tool to verify your combinations meet WCAG accessibility standards.