I. LOVE. COLOR. So much so that I have the hardest time picking out items for my home, because I struggle with selecting a color palette. Lucky for me, there are tons of awesome color palette generators available online — and you can use them for a variety of different projects! From home projects, to graphic and web design, to branding, to products — everything has a color palette.
Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. At no cost to you whatsoever, I may receive a small commission from the merchant if you choose to purchase a product or service through an affiliate link. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.
In this blog post, I will:
- Provide links to several color palette generators.
- Include a video tutorial on how to build a color palette in Photoshop and Silhouette Studio.
- Include a video tutorial on how to retrieve colors from photos in Photoshop and Silhouette Studio.
- Offer a color palette template which you can use in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate. I’ve also included a color palette you can use in Silhouette Studio AND a printable that you can use in your planner or journal if you want to use markers or pens to build a color palette! Click the link at the end of this post to receive the templates FOR FREE in your inbox. I will include video tutorials on how to fill in the template in Photoshop, Silhouette Studio, and Procreate.
Let’s get started!
Color Palette Generators
First, let’s go over some terminology that’s commonly used in association with color palettes, so you’ll have a better understanding of how to use the color palette generators.
- Analgous. When you generate an analgous color palette, you’re generating a color palette containing colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
- Complementary. When you generate a complementary color palette, you’re generating a color palette containing colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel.
- Compound. When you generate a compound color palette, you’re generating a color palette that uses both analgous and complementary colors on the color wheel.
- Monochromatic. When you generate a monochromatic color palette, you’re generating a color palette that consists of shades, tints, and tones of a single hue.
- Shades. Shades are generated by adding black to a pure hue.
- Tetradic/Triadic. When you generate a tetradic or triadic color palette, you’re generating a color palette that consists of colors that are evenly spaced on the color wheel. A tetradic color palette consists of 4 colors, while a triadic color palette typically consists of 3 colors.
- Tint. Tints are generated by adding white to a pure hue.
- Tone. Tones are generated by adding gray to a pure hue.
Since hot pink (#ff0099) is my primary brand color, I decided to build all of my color palettes around that color. Some of the programs would let me use the actual hex code, and some would not. So, if you’re wanting to build your color palette around a specific hex code, I’ll let you know which programs will allow for you to do that and which won’t! All of these color palette generators are completely free to use!
Adobe Color CC
I’m starting with my favorite color palette generator, Adobe Color CC. Why is it my favorite? Because if you’re logged into your Adobe account, it’ll sync your saved color palettes with any Adobe Software that you use! They allow you to build Analgous, Monochromatic, Triad, Complementary, Compound, Shades, and Custom Color Palettes! To build a color palette around a specific hex code, make sure to enter the hex code in the third/middle column — then select the type of color palette that you’d like to generate! If you don’t have a specific color in mind, just select the type of color palette you’d like to generate, and move the dots around the color wheel.
Beauty Color Code
Beauty Color Code is cool because it will give you a handful of color palettes in one glance. You can get an analysis of your selected color; or view complementary colors, analogous colors, triadic colors, tetradic colors, monochromatic colors, shades, tints, tones, and similar colors! When you first go to the website, there will be a huge chart of color squares for you to choose from, or if you know the hex code, simply google Beauty Color Code and the hex code (for example, I googled Beauty Color Code #ff0099).
Colordot
Colordot is super fun and easy to use! You simply move your mouse around on the screen, and once you select a color that you like, you click to save that color — then move onto the next color! You can build a color palette using as many colors as you want! Colordot does not allow you to start with a specific hex code, so this is a better generator to use if you’re wanting to create a completely random color palette! They even have an app for the iPhone!
Color-Hex
Color-Hex is a super fun website for color palette inspiration! You can search for colors by hex code, name, or rgb code. You can also create an account and build, save, and share your custom color palettes! Similar to Beauty Color Code, this website shows you shades and tints of colors; as well as triadic, analogous, monochromatic, and complementary colors. This website will also list related colors and will allow you to view color palettes other users have created that feature the specific color that you’re viewing! AND, for anyone that’s into coding, they provide CSS codes for a variety of scenarios (border colors, text colors, text shadows, etc.) for coders!
Color Hunt
Color Hunt isn’t an actual generator, but it’s extremely useful if you’re wanting to find random color palettes for inspiration! You can view and like color palettes that other users have created, and you can create your own color palette if you know the hex codes! They do not allow you to search for specific colors — so I don’t recommend this website if you already have a color in mind. But it’s a fantastic website to use for inspiration!
Color Hunter
Not to be confused with Color Hunt, Color Hunter generates color palettes from photos! If you have a color already in mind, you can search for the hex code to see color palettes based on images that other users have generated, OR you can upload a photo and generate your own color palette!
ColRD
On ColRD, you simply select a color to find color swatches, color palettes, gradients, patterns, and images associated with that color!
COLOURlovers
COLOURlovers allows you to find and create color palettes, patterns, shapes, swatches, and images! You can search for all of these by hex code or keywords (such as “pink”). I’ve only recently discovered this website, and I plan to use it to find stock images that will match my brand colors!
Combo Maker
Use Color Combo’s Combo Maker to create color palettes — or search for color pallets by name or hex code! You can also grab colors from other websites by simply entering the link into the designated section of the sidebar.
Coolors
Coolors is so much fun to use! It is a completely randomized color generator. To switch out the colors, simply hit your space bar. If there are some colors that you like, and others you don’t, you can lock the colors that you want to keep in place, and then hit the space bar to generate new colors in the spaces that aren’t locked! If you have a specific color that you want to use in your color palette, simply enter the hex code in one of the slots and lock it into place! They also have an app for iOS!
MudCube Color Sphere
MudCube Color Sphere is a highly intelligent color palette generator. While they don’t allow you to build a color palette off of a specific hex code, you can still generate a color palette using a color that’s close to your brand color! Simply drag the dot labeled “1” into a color area that matches your main color, and the rest of the dots will follow suit depending on the type of color palette you’ve selected to generate. You can generate the following types of color palettes with MudCube Color Sphere: Neutral, Analogous, Clash, Complementary, Split Complementary, Triadic, Tetradic, Four Tone, Five Tone, or Six Tone. MudCube Color Sphere also has a variety of color wheels, including: Normal, Protanopia, Protanomaly, Deuteranopia, Deuteranomaly, Tritanopia, Tritanomaly, Achromatopsia, and Achromatomaly. I’m not even going to pretend like I know what all of those types of color wheels mean –I haven’t the slightest clue, I’ve always stuck to a normal color wheel — but they’re still fun to play around with!
Paletton
Last but not least, there’s Paletton. With Paletton, you can generate a base color by entering the hex code in the Base RGB area, or by dragging the larger circle around the color wheel. Paletton will allow you to create monochromatic color palettes, adjacent color palettes with the ability to add a complementary color, triadic color palettes with the ability to add a complementary color, tetradic color palettes, and free style color palettes!
Color Palette Template & Tutorials
This is an example of the color palette template that I’m providing for free with this blog post! Be sure to click the link at the end of this blog post to have the templates sent to your inbox FOR FREE! Or, if you’re already a subscriber, these templates will be sent to your inbox in the bi-weekly newsletter AND are available now in the Freebie Library!
How to Use This Color Palette Template
Check out the videos below on how you can use these color palette templates in Photoshop, Silhouette Studio, and Procreate!
Photoshop
Silhouette Studio
Procreate
How to Create Your Own Color Palette from Scratch in Photoshop & Silhouette Studio
Photoshop
Silhouette Studio
DOWNLOAD THE FREE COLOR PALETTE TEMPLATES
CLICK HERE to Have the Color Palette Templates Sent to Your Inbox FOR FREE!
Hi! I’m Kathryn! I’m a wife, mom, blogger, and small business owner! I love to create things — anything from graphic design to DIY home decor — and I love to share my experiences with creating!
