Question 1

Which colour formats does the Color Picker support?

Accepted Answer

Five formats: HEX (#RRGGBB or shorthand #RGB), RGB (rgb(r, g, b) where each channel is 0-255), HSL (hsl(h°, s%, l%) where hue is 0-360 and saturation/lightness are 0-100%), HSV (hsv(h°, s%, v%) where v is value/brightness), and CMYK (cmyk(c%, m%, y%, k%) for print). All formats update simultaneously as you change any single input.

Question 2

How do I convert HEX to RGB?

Accepted Answer

Paste your HEX value in the HEX input field and the RGB equivalent appears instantly in the All Formats panel. Click the copy icon next to RGB to copy the rgb(r, g, b) string to your clipboard. The conversion is mathematical: HEX is base-16 representation of three 8-bit channels, RGB is the same channels expressed as decimal 0-255.

Question 3

What is the difference between HSL and HSV?

Accepted Answer

Both use hue (0-360°), but they treat saturation and the third dimension differently. HSL uses lightness (0% black, 50% pure colour, 100% white). HSV uses value or brightness (0% black, 100% maximum colour intensity at full saturation). HSL is more intuitive for tints and shades; HSV is more common in pixel-manipulation software like Photoshop colour pickers.

Question 4

When should I use CMYK instead of RGB or HEX?

Accepted Answer

CMYK is for print only. Printers mix Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) inks subtractively to produce colours on paper. Computer screens use RGB additively. A bright HEX or RGB value may not be reproducible in CMYK because the print colour gamut is smaller than the screen gamut. For web work, stick to HEX/RGB/HSL; for print work, your designer or printer will request CMYK.

Question 5

Is the Color Picker accurate for accessibility / WCAG contrast?

Accepted Answer

The tool gives you the precise colour values but does not directly compute WCAG contrast ratios. For accessibility checks (e.g., 4.5:1 minimum contrast for normal text against background), use a dedicated contrast-ratio checker. The Color Picker is upstream of that workflow — pick your colour here, then test the pair in a contrast tool.

Question 6

Does the colour picker eyedropper sample any pixel on my screen?

Accepted Answer

The native HTML colour input opens the operating system's colour picker, which on most modern OSes includes an eyedropper that samples any pixel on screen. This depends on the browser and OS combination. If the browser native picker does not offer this, use a desktop eyedropper utility and paste the HEX value here for further conversion.

Question 7

Are my colour selections saved or sent anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. The Color Picker runs entirely client-side. Your colour selections, slider positions, and HEX inputs are never transmitted to any server and are not saved between page reloads. To preserve a palette, copy the HEX values to a notes file or use our Color Palette Generator to save a coordinated set.

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