How to Use the Color Converter
- Enter a color using the picker, or type a HEX, RGB, or HSL value directly.
- All three formats update automatically to match.
- Click any "Copy" button to copy that specific format for use in your CSS.
HEX, RGB, and HSL explained
HEX represents a color as a six-digit hexadecimal code (e.g. #3B82F6), packing red, green, and blue values into two digits each. RGB expresses the same information as three separate 0–255 numbers for red, green, and blue. HSL describes color by Hue (position on the color wheel, 0–360°), Saturation (intensity, 0–100%), and Lightness (0–100%), which many designers find more intuitive for adjusting a color's shade.
When to use each format in CSS
HEX is compact and extremely common in design tools and CSS. RGB (and rgba() with an alpha channel) is useful when you need to blend with transparency. HSL is often the easiest format to reason about when programmatically generating shades, tints, or a consistent color palette, since adjusting lightness or saturation alone keeps the same hue.
Example
#3B82F6
rgb(59, 130, 246) · hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
Tips
- HSL makes it easy to generate consistent color variants by only changing the lightness value.
- Use rgba()/hsla() when you need an alpha (transparency) channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which color format should I use in my CSS?
Any of the three are valid CSS. HEX is the most compact and common; HSL is often easier for programmatically adjusting shade and saturation.
Does this support alpha/transparency?
The core conversion focuses on opaque HEX/RGB/HSL values; use the RGB or HSL output as a base and add an alpha channel manually if needed (rgba()/hsla()).