Color Converter
Convert colors between HEX, RGB and HSL formats instantly for web design and CSS. No signup. Ideal for designers and developers working with color codes.
Result
| HEX | ||
|---|---|---|
| RGB | ||
| HSL |
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This color converter translates colors between the HEX, RGB and HSL formats instantly, directly in your browser. Enter a color in any format and see it in the others, with a preview of the color itself. No account, no install, so designers and developers working with color codes can convert between formats on any device in seconds.
How to Convert a Color Step by Step
- Enter your color. Type or paste your color in any supported format, a HEX code, RGB values, or HSL values, into the input. The tool recognises the format.
- See the conversions. The tool converts your color into the other formats, showing the equivalent HEX, RGB and HSL representations of the same color.
- Preview the color. A swatch shows the actual color, so you can confirm it is the one you intended and see it alongside its codes in each format.
- Copy the format you need. Copy the color code in whichever format your task requires, whether HEX for a quick CSS value, RGB, or HSL for adjusting the color.
- Use it in your design or code. Apply the color code in your stylesheet, design tool, or wherever you specify colors, in the format that suits your workflow.
What HEX, RGB and HSL Are
There are several standard ways to represent a color in digital design, and the three most common are HEX, RGB and HSL. They all describe the same colors but in different notations, each with its own strengths. Understanding them, and being able to convert between them, is fundamental to web design and development, where colors must be specified in code and different formats suit different tasks.
HEX and RGB both describe a color by its red, green and blue components, the way screens mix light. HEX is a compact six character code, a hash followed by three pairs of hexadecimal digits for the red, green and blue values, widely used in CSS for its brevity. RGB expresses the same three components as decimal numbers, which some find more readable and which is convenient when you want to work with the individual channel values directly.
HSL takes a completely different and often more intuitive approach, describing a color by its hue, saturation and lightness. Hue is the color itself on the colour wheel, saturation is how vivid or grey it is, and lightness is how light or dark. This is powerful for adjusting colors: to make a color lighter, you increase the lightness; to make it more muted, you decrease the saturation, all without touching the underlying red, green and blue mix.
The value of converting between these formats is that each excels at different things. HEX is compact and ubiquitous in CSS, ideal for specifying a fixed color. RGB is handy when working with the individual light channels. HSL is best for understanding and adjusting a color intuitively. Designers and developers move between them constantly, using HEX for a value here, HSL to tweak a shade there, so converting reliably between the formats is a routine and useful task.
When to Use Each Color Format
| Format | Describes color by | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HEX | Red, green, blue as hex code | Compact CSS values |
| RGB | Red, green, blue as numbers | Working with light channels |
| HSL | Hue, saturation, lightness | Intuitively adjusting colors |
| All three | The same colors | Convert as each task needs |
Who Uses a Color Converter
Pro Tips for Working With Color Formats
Common Color Conversion Mistakes to Avoid
Related Tools You May Need Next
To check a color contrasts enough for text, our Color Contrast Checker tests readability. To generate random colors, the Random Hex Color Generator helps, and the CSS Gradient Generator builds gradients.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert a color between formats?
Enter your color in any supported format, a HEX code, RGB values, or HSL values, and the tool converts it into the other formats, showing the equivalent representations of the same color along with a preview swatch. Copy the code in whichever format your task requires. This lets you use HEX for a compact CSS value, RGB for working with light channels, or HSL for adjusting the color intuitively, moving between formats as your design or code work needs.
What are HEX, RGB and HSL?
They are three standard ways to represent a color digitally. HEX is a compact six character code, a hash followed by hexadecimal digits for the red, green and blue components, common in CSS. RGB expresses the same red, green and blue components as decimal numbers. HSL describes a color by its hue, saturation and lightness, a more intuitive approach for adjusting colors. All three describe the same colors but in different notations, each with strengths suited to different tasks in design and development.
When should I use each color format?
Use HEX for compact, fixed color values in CSS, where its brevity and ubiquity make it the common choice. Use RGB when you want to work with the individual red, green and blue light channels directly. Use HSL when adjusting a color intuitively, since it lets you change lightness and saturation easily, making a color lighter, darker or more muted without touching the underlying light mix. Converting between them lets you use the best format for each particular task.
Why is HSL good for adjusting colors?
Because HSL describes a color by hue, saturation and lightness, which are intuitive, perceptual qualities. To make a color lighter, you simply increase the lightness; to make it more muted, you decrease the saturation, all without needing to work out how to change the red, green and blue values to achieve that effect. This makes HSL far more natural for adjusting colors than HEX or RGB, which describe the light channels directly and are unintuitive for perceptual changes like lightening or muting.
Do HEX and RGB describe colors the same way?
Yes, HEX and RGB both describe a color by its red, green and blue components, the way screens mix light, just in different notations. HEX uses a compact six character hexadecimal code, while RGB uses decimal numbers for the same three channel values. So a given HEX code and its equivalent RGB values represent exactly the same color; they are two ways of writing the same red, green and blue mix. HSL, by contrast, describes color differently, by hue, saturation and lightness.
Will converting a color change it slightly?
Converting between formats can involve rounding, since the formats represent values differently, so a color converted back and forth might differ very slightly from the original in some cases. For virtually all practical purposes this difference is imperceptible and does not matter. However, in precise work, be aware that repeated conversions could theoretically accumulate tiny rounding differences. For a single conversion to use a color in another format, this is not a concern, and the preview confirms the color.
Should I check color contrast when choosing colors?
Yes, especially for text. Whatever format you use, when a color will be used for text on a background, checking the contrast between them ensures the text is readable and accessible. Poor contrast makes text hard or impossible to read for many people. A color contrast checker confirms whether a color combination meets accessibility standards. So converting a color to the format you need is one step, and checking its contrast for text use is an important complementary step for accessible design.
Is the color converter free?
Yes, it is completely free with no account and no usage limit. You can convert as many colors between HEX, RGB and HSL as you like, as often as you like, at no cost. It runs entirely in your browser on any device, so there is nothing to download or install, and the equivalent formats, along with a preview of the color, appear instantly whenever you enter a color in any supported format.