Quick answer. Choose a photo, pick 5 to 8 colours (the default is 6), and copy HEX or RGB. The picture stays in your browser. The swatches are an approximation of the dominant colours, not a print or Pantone match.
How to get a palette from a photo
Choose a picture, or drag it onto the box. Pick 5, 6, 7 or 8 colours, then copy the HEX or RGB values, or copy the whole list, a CSS :root snippet, or JSON. If a white backdrop or a black studio background is crowding the palette, turn on the skip-light or skip-dark toggle. You can also click a point on the photo to pin an extra colour.
Large photos are analysed on a smaller preview (the longest side is scaled to 600 pixels), so very tiny details may not get their own swatch. The original file is not modified. If the tab may run out of memory on a very large file, shrink it first with the Image Resizer.
HEX and RGB
HEX (#RRGGBB) is what most web and design tools paste. RGB is the same colour as red, green and blue values from 0 to 255. Both figures on this page come from the same sampled colour.
The palette is built by grouping visible pixels on that smaller preview (median-cut, then a few k-means steps) — a common way to pick dominant colours, and still only an approximation. Lighting, screens and print will differ. This is not a measured colour profile, not a Pantone match, and not proof for a print run. Fully transparent pixels are ignored. An optional contrast check on this same page uses the official WCAG 2 contrast ratio (relative luminance): AA for normal text is 4.5:1, AA for large text is 3:1, and AAA for normal text is 7:1, from WCAG 2.2 Contrast (Minimum). There is no second contrast-checker URL.
JPG, PNG, WebP and GIF are accepted, and BMP or AVIF where the browser can decode them. Animated GIFs use the first frame. iPhone photos in HEIC format often open in Safari; in other browsers, convert them with HEIC to JPG first. A 1×1 or unreadable file shows an error instead of a blank row of swatches.
For product photos and shop brands
Sellers can pull colours from a listing photo to reuse on packaging, a favicon or a shop banner. Size or crop the photo first with the Image Resizer if you need a tighter crop. Turn a mark into a small icon with the Favicon Generator. iPhone photos in HEIC format can be converted with HEIC to JPG if this browser cannot open them. You can also draft listing text with the Image SEO Text Generator.
Privacy
The photo stays in this tab and is not sent to our server or to anyone else. Microsoft Clarity does not record this page. The last “number of colours” and the skip toggles can be remembered in this browser; the picture and the palette are not.
Frequently asked questions
Is this color palette tool free?
Yes. Extract and copy palettes with no account, no watermark, and no paid unlock.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The image is read in your browser and does not go to our server.
How many colours can I extract?
Five to eight. Choose the number before or after you open the photo; the default is six.
What do HEX and RGB mean?
HEX (#RRGGBB) is the six-character code most web and design tools paste. RGB is the same colour written as red, green and blue values from 0 to 255. Both numbers on this page come from the same sampled colour.
Why doesn’t a tiny detail in my photo get its own swatch?
The tool looks at dominant colours and analyses a smaller preview of large files, so small accents can be missed. Click the photo to pin an extra colour, or crop a closer photo in the image resizer if you need a specific area.
Can I use an iPhone HEIC photo?
In Safari, you can often open it here. In other browsers, convert it with HEIC to JPG first, then come back.
Are these colours accurate for print?
No. They are an approximation of the photo on your screen. Lighting, cameras and printers differ. This is not a Pantone or profiled print match.
Do you have a separate contrast checker?
No. This page includes a contrast check for two colours you pick, using the WCAG 2 contrast ratio. There is no separate contrast-checker URL.