Color converters

A color format is like a digital language for colors. It’s a system used to represent and define colors in digital and print media, defining how color information is encoded and stored. Think of it as how computers talk about colors, similar to how we use different languages to communicate.

• RGB is one of the most common color formats. It stands for Red, Green, and Blue. Each color’s intensity is represented by a value between 0 and 255. By mixing these values, we can create any color. For example, adding all colors together creates white (255, 255, 255); pure red is (255, 0, 0); and dark purple could be (128, 0, 128). RGB is best suited for digital displays like monitors, phones, and televisions.
• Hexadecimal, often shortened to Hex, is another way to represent RGB colors, mainly used in web design and programming. It uses a combination of six characters (numbers 0–9 and letters A–F) to represent the intensity of red, green, and blue. For example, #FF0000 is bright red (the same as RGB’s 255,0,0), while #A020F0 represents a shade of purple. Hex codes offer a more compact way to define colors within code.
• HSL stands for Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. This format is more intuitive because it directly relates to how humans perceive color. Hue is represented as a degree on a color wheel (0–360), with red at 0, green at 120, and blue at 240. Saturation (0–100%) determines the color intensity, with 0% being grayscale and 100% being fully saturated. Lightness (0–100%) controls the brightness, with 0% being black and 100% being white. HSL (120, 100%, 50%) would be a vibrant green.
• CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black). Unlike RGB, which mixes light, CMYK is a subtractive model used primarily in printing. It’s like layering inks, where each layer subtracts certain wavelengths of light, ultimately reflecting the desired color. CMYK uses percentages (0-100%) for each color. For example, (0%, 100%, 100%, 0%) would be a bright red. CMYK is essential for physical media like brochures, magazines, and photographs.

Converting between color formats is purely mathematical. Translating RGB into HEX is easiest because it’s virtually the same format but with different encoding. We simply express values from 0 to 255 as two-digit hexadecimal numbers. For example, 0 becomes 00, 255 becomes FF, and a deep teal with RGB (0,153,170) becomes #0099AA.

Converting from RGB to HSL, however, involves reinterpreting the color information. This process analyzes the relationships between the red, green, and blue values to determine the hue (by identifying the dominant color and its position on the color wheel), the saturation (by assessing how pure or grayish the color is), and the lightness (by averaging the maximum and minimum RGB values to determine how close the color is to white or black).

All our color format conversions use vetted and widely known mathematical formulas. We’ve simply repackaged them into a more user-friendly tool.

Calculations happen locally in your browser using JavaScript. We do not store or track your usage in any way.

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