If you work in UI/UX design or front end development, you know that color is everything. The exact shade of blue on a button can impact conversion rates, and the contrast of your text determines readability.
But dealing with web colors can be frustrating. A designer might hand you a HEX code, your CSS framework might require RGB, and your design software might use HSL. Translating between these formats manually is a waste of time and a recipe for errors.
The Three Main Color Spaces
1. HEX (Hexadecimal)
HEX is the most common format used in web design. It starts with a hashtag (#) followed by six characters. For example, #FF0000 is pure red. The first two characters represent red, the next two represent green, and the last two represent blue.
HEX is great for copying and pasting, but it is not very intuitive for humans to read or modify.
2. RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
RGB is how screens actually display color. It uses three numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255. For example, rgb(255, 0, 0) is pure red. This format is much easier to understand mathematically than HEX.
3. HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness)
HSL is preferred by many modern designers because it aligns with how humans think about color. Hue is the color angle on the color wheel (0-360), Saturation is the intensity, and Lightness is how dark or light the color is. For example, hsl(0, 100%, 50%) is pure red.
Convert colors instantly
Switch between HEX, RGB, and HSL with our free, offline tool. Includes a dropdown of all standard CSS colors.
Try Free Color Converter →Why use a dedicated converter?
While some browsers allow you to inspect colors and copy them, they do not always let you easily translate between spaces. If a client gives you a brand guideline with specific HSL values but you need to hardcode a CSS variable in HEX, a converter saves you from having to do the math.
Our Color Converter handles HEX to RGB, HEX to HSL, and everything in between. It also includes a dropdown of all 140+ standard CSS color names, so you can quickly find the code for "aliceblue" or "rebeccapurple".
A quick UI/UX design tip
When designing interfaces, always check the contrast ratio between your text color and your background color. Failing to do so makes your site inaccessible to visually impaired users and can hurt your SEO ranking. Use a contrast checker tool to ensure your text passes the WCAG accessibility standards.
Need to convert a brand color quickly? Use the MyToolX Color Converter and get back to designing.