10 Sites to Create Color Palettes Like a Pro

Color is an essential element in design, and choosing the perfect combination can make the difference between a good design and a memorable one. To make the process easier, here are 10 amazing tools for designers that will help you create, explore, and use color palettes like a pro.

Adobe Color

Best for:

Designers deeply integrated with Adobe Creative Cloud. If you regularly use tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, or XD, Adobe Color is the perfect companion. It allows you to create and save palettes that seamlessly sync across the Adobe ecosystem, ensuring smooth workflows.

What it offers:

An interactive color wheel to create palettes based on rules like monochromatic, analogous, or triadic.

How to use it:

1. Go to Adobe Color
2. Experiment with the color wheel and adjust RGB/HEX values.
3. Explore popular palettes in the "Explore" section.
4. Save your palettes to Adobe Creative Cloud and use them in Illustrator, Photoshop, or XD.

Coolors

Best for:

Designers who need fast, effortless palette creation. Coolors is ideal for anyone who wants to quickly generate cohesive palettes without spending time adjusting settings manually. Its user-friendly interface and random generation feature make it perfect for brainstorming and experimentation.

What it offers:

Automatic palette generation and the ability to extract colors from images.

How to use it:

1. Visit Coolors
2. Press the spacebar to generate random palettes.
3. Lock favorite colors and adjust tones.
4. Save or export palettes as images or PDFs.

Colormind

Best for:

Designers looking for innovative, AI-driven color suggestions. Colormind excels at producing unique palettes inspired by real-world visual data, such as movie frames or photographs. This tool is ideal for creatives who want palettes with a natural, context-aware aesthetic.

What it offers:

Palettes inspired by visual data such as movies and photographs.

How to use it:

1. Go to Colormind
2. Click "Generate" to create random combinations.
3. Upload images or CSS files to customize results.
4. Copy HEX or RGB codes for your project.

Paletton

Best for:

Designers working with complex or precise color harmonies. Paletton is tailored for those who need detailed control over color relationships. Its advanced wheel and interactive previews are especially useful for projects where color theory and harmony are critical, such as branding or fine art.

What it offers:

An advanced color wheel with options for designing complex palettes.

How to use it:

1. Visit Paletton
2. Choose a main tone and apply predefined schemes (monochromatic, complementary, etc.).
3. Preview how colors look in interactive examples.
4. Export the palette as HTML, CSS, or an image.

Color Hunt

Best for:

Designers seeking curated, ready-to-use palettes. Color Hunt is perfect for inspiration on the go. The curated gallery is a treasure trove for anyone looking to explore modern, trendy, or thematic palettes without needing to tweak them manually.

What it offers:

A curated gallery with palettes updated daily.

How to use it:

1. Go to Color Hunt
2. Browse categories (modern, vintage, etc.).
3. Click on any palette to see HEX codes.
4. Use the colors directly in your projects.

Canva Colors

Best for:

Beginners and casual designers who use Canva. If you're a beginner in design or primarily use Canva for your projects, this tool provides a great introduction to color theory while integrating seamlessly into Canva's easy-to-use editor.

What it offers:

Palette generation, color theory, and meanings of colors.

How to use it:

1. Visit Canva Colors
2. Use the generator to upload an image and extract its palette.
3. Consult guides on combinations and color meanings.
4. Apply the palettes directly in Canva's editor.

Design Seeds

Best for:

Designers who draw inspiration from photography. This site is perfect for anyone who wants to connect their palettes to visual storytelling. The photographic approach is excellent for projects tied to nature, moods, or seasons.

What it offers:

Palettes created from high-quality images.

How to use it:

1. Go to Design Seeds
2. Browse categories (nature, emotions, seasons).
3. Use the photos and HEX codes as visual references for your projects.

Khroma

Best for:

Designers wanting personalized, AI-driven recommendations. Khroma shines for those who want unique, tailored palettes. Its AI learns your preferences, making it ideal for creating distinct combinations aligned with your design style or brand identity.

What it offers:

AI learns your preferences and recommends unique color combinations.

How to use it:

1. Access Khroma
2. Select your favorite colors to train the system.
3. Explore combinations generated based on your preferences.
4. Use the suggested HEX or RGB codes.

ColorSpace

Best for:

Designers who need quick, single-color-based palettes. ColorSpace is excellent for creating multiple combinations or gradients from one starting color. It's perfect for designers working on projects with a dominant color theme.

What it offers:

Complete palettes generated from a single color.

How to use it:

1. Visit ColorSpace
2. Input a HEX code to instantly get a palette.
3. Explore suggested gradients and schemes.
4. Download the combinations or use HEX values directly.

Happy Hues

Best for:

Designers focusing on web and branding projects. Happy Hues is a fantastic tool for anyone designing user interfaces or branding materials. By showing palettes in web design examples, it’s easier to visualize their practical application.

What it offers:

Showcases color palettes applied directly to website examples.

How to use it:

1. Go to Happy Hues
2. Browse palettes applied to sample websites.
3. Copy the HEX or RGB values of the colors you like.
4. Use the palettes to create harmonious interfaces or branding.