Color Converter

Convert colors between HEX, RGB and HSL formats with live preview

What is it and how does it work?

A color converter translates a single colour between the formats used across design and code: HEX (#3B82F6), RGB (rgb(59, 130, 246)) and HSL (hsl(217, 91%, 60%)). They all describe the same pixel, but each is convenient in a different place — HEX is compact and dominates CSS and design files, RGB maps directly to how screens mix red, green and blue light, and HSL describes colour the way humans think about it: a hue, how vivid it is, and how light or dark. Converting lets you carry one colour cleanly between a design tool, a stylesheet and a graphics program without it drifting.

The conversions are exact mathematical mappings, so #3B82F6, its RGB triplet and its HSL values are three spellings of one colour. The format that pays off most is HSL: because it separates hue from lightness, you can build a consistent palette by keeping the hue fixed and only adjusting lightness for shades and tints — something that is awkward to do by hand in HEX. This tool shows all three formats and a live swatch at once, so you can pick the representation each tool needs and copy it instantly.

Common use cases

• Matching a brand colour: paste a HEX from a style guide and read off its RGB and HSL values for a tool that only accepts one of them.
• Building shades for a palette: take a base colour in HSL and adjust only the lightness to generate consistent lighter and darker variants.
• Translating design to code: convert a designer's RGB value into the HEX a CSS file expects, with a preview to confirm it is the right colour.

Frequently asked questions

Do HEX, RGB and HSL describe the same colours?

Yes. HEX and RGB are the same information written differently — each pair of HEX digits is one RGB channel. HSL is a different coordinate system over the same colour space, so any colour converts cleanly between all three with no loss for standard opaque colours.

When should I use HSL instead of HEX?

HSL shines when you are adjusting a colour rather than just naming it: lightening, darkening or desaturating. Keeping the hue and saturation fixed and changing only lightness produces a harmonious set of shades, which is far harder to eyeball in HEX.

How do I handle transparency?

Transparency is an extra alpha channel, written as an 8-digit HEX (#RRGGBBAA) or as rgba()/hsla(). The opaque conversion covers the colour itself; add the alpha value separately for semi-transparent colours.

Why does my converted colour look slightly different on screen?

The numbers are exact, but how a colour appears depends on the display, its calibration and colour profile. The conversion does not change the colour; differences you see come from the monitor rendering the same values differently.

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