Drop an image here to extract colors
Great for photos, logos, or design inspiration
Settings
Color palette will appear here
Tips for Better Color Extraction
- - Use high contrast images with clear color blocks for best results
- - Photos with distinct color themes work well (landscapes, logos, artwork)
- - Adjust the number of colors to get more or fewer options
- - Click on any color swatch to copy the hex value instantly
What is Color Palette Extractor?
A color palette extractor analyzes images to identify the dominant colors that define their visual character. The process works by sampling thousands of pixels throughout the image, grouping similar colors into clusters, and selecting the most representative color from each cluster based on frequency and visual significance. Designers and developers use extracted palettes to create cohesive color schemes that complement source imagery — matching a website design to a hero photo, building a brand palette from a logo, or creating UI themes inspired by nature photography. The tool exports palettes in developer-ready formats: CSS custom properties for web projects, SCSS variables for preprocessor workflows, and JSON arrays for design systems and JavaScript applications. Each extracted color is presented with its hex value and RGB equivalent, and clicking any swatch copies the value instantly.
How to Use
- Click 'Select Image' or drag and drop an image
- Adjust the number of colors to extract (3-10 available)
- Colors are automatically extracted from the image
- Click any color swatch to copy its hex value
- Export the palette as CSS variables, SCSS, or JSON for your project
Why Use This Tool?
Tips & Best Practices
- Logos and brand images give focused, usable palettes
- Landscape photos create natural, harmonious color schemes
- Use 3-5 colors for minimal, clean designs
- Use 7-10 colors for detailed, rich palettes
- Export to CSS variables for easy theme integration
- Test extracted colors for accessibility contrast ratios
Frequently Asked Questions
How does color extraction work?
The tool samples thousands of pixels from your image, groups similar colors together, and identifies the most frequently occurring color groups. The dominant colors from each group form your palette, representing the most important colors in your image.
What images work best for palette extraction?
Images with distinct, clear color themes produce the best palettes. Logos, brand graphics, landscapes, artwork, and photos with defined color areas work excellently. Avoid overly busy images with too many competing colors.
How many colors should I extract?
For UI design, 3-5 colors create clean, focused palettes. For comprehensive brand schemes or detailed designs, 5-7 colors provide variety while staying cohesive. Use 10 colors for full color analysis of complex images.
Can I use these colors in my design projects?
Yes! The extracted colors are perfect for creating matching designs. Export as CSS variables for web projects, SCSS for styling, or JSON for design systems. The exact hex values ensure consistent color matching.
What export formats are available?
CSS Variables (--color-1: #hex;), SCSS variables ($color-1: #hex;), and JSON array format. All formats are ready to paste directly into your codebase without modification.
Why are the colors different from what I see?
The algorithm identifies mathematically dominant colors based on pixel frequency and grouping. Sometimes visually prominent but small areas contribute fewer pixels, so their colors may not appear in the extracted palette.
Is my uploaded image kept private?
Yes. All color extraction happens locally in your browser using the Canvas API. Your images are never uploaded to any server, never stored, and never transmitted anywhere. The tool works offline once loaded.
When should I NOT use this tool?
Skip this tool when you need perceptually uniform color palettes for data visualization — use a dedicated tool like ColorBrewer instead. Also avoid it for images with very similar shades (like grayscale photos) where the extracted colors will be nearly indistinguishable. For professional print work requiring CMYK or Pantone values, this tool only provides RGB/HEX output.
Real-world Examples
Creating a website theme from a brand photo
Extract colors from a hero image or brand photo to create a cohesive CSS custom properties theme that visually ties the design together.
A landscape photo with sunset colors
:root {
--color-1: #2D1B4E;
--color-2: #8B3A62;
--color-3: #E07A5F;
--color-4: #F2CC8F;
--color-5: #F4F1DE;
}Building a design system from a logo
Extract the key colors from a company logo to define the primary palette for the entire design system, ensuring visual consistency across all components.
A company logo with 3-4 brand colors
[
{ "name": "color-1", "value": "#14B8A6" },
{ "name": "color-2", "value": "#0F172A" },
{ "name": "color-3", "value": "#F8FAFC" },
{ "name": "color-4", "value": "#64748B" }
]