Color Palette from Image
Upload a photo and pull out its colors as a palette, with hex codes you can copy.
Drag the dots on the photo to fine-tune each color. Drop or paste an image to use your own.
How to create a color palette from an image
- Click Select Image and upload a photo, paste an image URL, or pick one from the built-in Unsplash library. On a computer you can also drop an image file onto the photo or paste one from your clipboard.
- The tool finds the most common colors in the photo and places a dot on each one.
- Drag any dot to fine-tune the exact shade. A selected dot shows a magnified view of the pixels under it, and the arrow keys nudge it.
- Use the minus and plus buttons to capture anywhere from 2 to 10 colors.
- Click a swatch to copy its hex code. Use Export to open the palette in the editor or create a collage of the photo with its palette.
Why pull a color palette from an image?
A photo already holds a color scheme that works, because the light, the subject, and the setting were balanced in the moment it was taken. Lifting those colors gives you a palette that feels natural together, which is much harder to build from a blank screen. Designers, marketers, and artists use image based palettes to keep a project visually consistent and grounded in something real.
- Build brand colors from a product photo, a storefront, or a logo.
- Match a website or app design to a hero image or mood board.
- Plan a room, an outfit, or an event around a single inspiration photo.
- Pull reference colors for illustration, painting, or 3D work.
- Set the tone for a presentation, a social graphic, or a printed piece.
Tips for extracting the best colors from a photo
- Start with a sharp, well lit photo. Blurry or dark images tend to give muddy results.
- Images with a clear subject and a few strong colors read better than busy scenes.
- Move the dots onto the areas that matter to you, since the most common color in a photo is not always the one you want.
- Drop the color count to 3 to 5 for a usable design palette, and raise it to capture small accent colors.
- Try a few crops or angles of the same scene to see which mix you like best.
What to do with your palette next
Once you have a set of colors you like, keep building. Open it in the color palette generator to adjust hues and lock in your favorites, check pairs in the contrast checker so your text stays readable, or blend two shades together with the color mixer. You can also turn a single color into a full range with the color shades generator, or fade your colors into a smooth background using the gradient maker.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use the extract palette from image tool?
Click Select Image and choose a photo from your device, an image URL, or Unsplash. The tool extracts a palette right away. Change the number of colors with the minus and plus buttons (2 to 10), drag the dots to adjust any color, and click a swatch to copy its hex value.
When you like the result, use Export and then Open in Editor to keep refining it, or save it to your ColorKit account.
How does this tool work?
This color palette from image tool uses color thief to find the dominant colors in an image, then places a dot on the pixel that best matches each one. You can find interesting images to use from your phone's camera roll or on a site like Unsplash. Images you upload are read in your browser and never sent to our server.
You can also use Export and then Create Collage to download a PNG of the photo with its palette on top.
Can I get the hex codes from an image?
Yes. Every color the tool finds shows its hex code, and clicking a swatch copies that value to your clipboard. Open the palette in the editor to keep adjusting it.
How many colors can I pull from one image?
You can extract anywhere from 2 to 10 colors. Most design palettes work best with 3 to 5, while larger sets are handy for illustration and data visualization.
Is the tool free, and do I need an account?
The tool is completely free and works with no sign up. A free ColorKit account is optional, and only needed if you want to save palettes to come back to later.
What image formats can I use?
Common web formats all work, including JPG, PNG, WebP, and GIF. You can upload a file, paste an image URL, or choose a photo from Unsplash inside the tool.
Can I extract colors from a screenshot or logo?
Yes. Any image works, including screenshots, logos, product photos, and artwork. Drag the dots onto the exact areas you want to capture.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The tool runs in your browser on phones, tablets, and computers, so you can pull colors straight from your camera roll. Drag the dots with your finger to fine-tune them.