Color Converter

Convert colors between HEX, RGB, HSL, and HSV free online. Type any format and get instant conversion to all others, with a live color preview.

RGB

HSL

HSV

Browser only.

How to Use This Tool

Pick or type a colorUse the color wheel or type a HEX code directly

See all formats instantlyRGB, HSL, and HSV update automatically

Copy what you needClick any field to select and copy its value

The Same Color, Four Different Ways to Write It

A single color has one true value but several valid textual representations, each suited to different contexts. CSS stylesheets commonly use HEX for simplicity, RGB when alpha transparency matters, and HSL when a design system needs to programmatically generate lighter or darker shade variations. Converting between them manually is slow and error-prone; this tool does it instantly as you type or pick.

When Each Format Earns Its Place

HEX is compact and universally recognized, the default choice for most static color definitions. RGB becomes useful specifically when you need to layer in an alpha channel for transparency. HSL is the format of choice when you want to programmatically adjust just the lightness or saturation while keeping the hue constant -- exactly what's needed when generating a consistent shade palette from one base color.

HSV's Niche in Image Editing

HSV (or HSB) shows up more often in image editing software and color-picker wheel interfaces than in CSS, because its "value" axis maps more easy-to-usely to how a color picker wheel visually represents brightness. Knowing the HSV equivalent is occasionally useful when matching a CSS color to a value you're seeing represented in design software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Different tools and contexts expect different formats. CSS commonly uses HEX for static colors, RGB for opacity control, and HSL for programmatic lightness/saturation adjustments. Design tools, print specifications, and code all have their own conventions, so converting between them comes up constantly in practice.

Both describe color using hue, but HSL uses lightness (how close to black or white) while HSV uses value/brightness (how close to black, but with a different relationship to white). HSL is more commonly used in CSS and design tools; HSV is more common in image editing and color-picker wheels.

This converter accepts HEX, RGB, HSL, and HSV input formats directly. For named CSS colors, look up the corresponding HEX value first -- there are a finite, well-documented set of standard CSS color names with known HEX equivalents.

It shouldn't, if conversion is accurate -- the underlying color is identical, just represented differently. Any visible difference usually points to a display calibration issue or browser color management quirk, not the conversion math itself.

Copy the HEX value from the result and wrap it in a CSS custom property declaration like --my-color: #4f46e5; -- the HEX format is generally the most portable and widely supported across CSS and design tool contexts.