Image Color Picker

Tool Overview

This image color picker lets you choose a color from any point in an image you upload. It shows that color in several formats and lets you copy the values. You can also pull out a set of colors from the whole image and get optional notes about the picked color from an AI.

Designers and developers often need the exact color from a photo or mockup. Guessing or using a generic picker is slow and inexact. This tool solves that by letting you click on the image to get the color at that pixel and see it as hex, RGB, HSL, and CMYK so you can paste it into your project.

The tool is for anyone who needs colors from an image. Designers use it to match brand colors or build palettes from photos. Developers use it to get hex or RGB for code. You do not need technical skills. You upload an image, click or tap where you want the color, and copy the value you need.

Background & Concept Explanation

Every pixel in an image has a color made of red, green, and blue values. A color picker reads those values at the point you choose and converts them into the formats you use in design or code. Hex is common for the web. RGB is used in code and design tools. HSL is useful for adjusting lightness and saturation. CMYK is used for print. The same pixel can be shown in all of these.

Picking from an image is used in many places. Designers pull colors from a photo to build a palette. Developers grab the exact hex from a screenshot. Marketers match colors from a logo or brand image. Without a picker you would have to guess or use another tool. A related operation involves extracting text from images as part of a similar workflow.

People struggle when they have no way to get the exact color from an image. They take a screenshot and use a desktop picker, or they try to match by eye. This tool runs in your browser so you upload the image, click the spot, and get the values at once. You can also extract a list of the most common colors in the image to use as a palette.

Some images are large. The tool scales very big images down so it can work quickly. The color you pick is taken from the pixel (or a small area if you turn on averaging) on the canvas that is shown. That way the result matches what you see.

Key Features

• Upload an image by clicking the upload area and choosing a file. The tool accepts image files and supports common types. The file must be under 10MB. If the width or height is over 4096 pixels, the image is scaled down to fit so the tool stays responsive. This keeps the tool fast and avoids errors.
• The image is drawn on a canvas. You move the pointer over it to see a preview of the color under the cursor. You click or tap to set that color as the picked color. The cursor is a crosshair so you can aim at a single pixel. This gives you precise control over which color you choose.
• An option called 3×3 Averaging is available. When it is on, the color at the pointer is the average of a 3×3 block of pixels instead of a single pixel. This smooths out noise and can give a more representative color for a small area. When it is off, you get the exact pixel color. You toggle it with a switch below the image.
• On desktop, when you hover over the image a zoom lens appears. It shows a magnified view of the area under the cursor with a grid and a center mark. A small swatch below the lens shows the hover color. This helps you see exactly which pixel you are on before you click.
• The picked color is shown in a card. You see a large swatch with the hex code on it, the hex value with a copy button, and the RGB string. Below that the tool shows four formats with copy buttons: Hex Code, RGB, HSL, and CMYK. Each value can be copied to the clipboard with one click. This covers the formats most used in web and design.
• Recent Picks keeps the last several colors you picked. You can click any of them to set it as the current picked color again. This helps when you want to compare or reuse a color without clicking the image again.
• Extract Colors builds a palette from the whole image. You click a button to run it. The tool samples pixels from the canvas, groups similar colors, counts how often each appears, and shows up to 50 colors sorted by how common they are. The result is shown as a grid of swatches. Clicking a swatch sets that color as the picked color. You can run extraction again after loading the image. This gives you a quick palette drawn from the image.
• Optional AI insights are available for the picked color. You click a button to request them. The tool sends the hex value to a backend service. You may get a short vibe description, a note on web usage, and a list of harmonies with names and suggested colors. You can click a suggested color to set it as the picked color. This is optional. If the request fails, you still have the picked color and all formats. The tool does not depend on AI to pick or convert colors.
• A Clear button removes the image and all picked, recent, and extracted colors and resets the tool. You can then upload another image. A hover preview panel on the right (desktop only) shows the current hover color and its hex and RGB while you move over the image. This gives quick feedback before you click.
• Image size limits protect performance. Files over 10MB are rejected. Images over 4096 pixels on a side are scaled down. The canvas used for drawing and picking is limited in size so that reading pixels stays fast. Error messages explain when a file is too large. This avoids slow or frozen tabs.

Common Use Cases

Designers match colors from a photo or screenshot. They upload the image, click on the color they need, and copy the hex or RGB into their design tool or style guide. They use 3×3 averaging when the area is slightly noisy.

Developers need exact colors from a mockup or comp. They use the picker to get the hex value for CSS or a design token. They copy the value and paste it into code. The multiple formats help when a different system expects RGB or HSL. For adjacent tasks, picking colors addresses a complementary step.

Anyone building a palette from a photo uses Extract Colors. They upload the image, run extraction, and get a set of dominant colors. They click the swatches they like to set them as picked and copy the hex or RGB. Recent Picks helps them switch between several candidates.

People who want ideas for color combinations use the optional AI insights. After picking a color they request insights and see a vibe and usage note and suggested harmonies. They can click a harmony color to try it as the main color. This is optional and can fail; the picker and formats still work without it.

Print or brand work sometimes needs CMYK. The tool shows the picked color in CMYK so you can type or paste it into print software. You still pick from the image the same way; only the displayed format changes.

How to Use This Tool

1. Open the image color picker in your browser.
2. Click the upload area and choose an image file from your device. The file must be under 10MB and be an image. Wait for the image to load. Very large images are scaled down automatically.
3. Move the pointer over the image. On desktop, a zoom lens and hover preview show the color under the cursor. The current hover color is also shown in the Hover Preview panel on the right if visible.
4. Click (or tap on mobile) on the spot where you want the color. That color becomes the picked color. The main card updates with a large swatch and the values in Hex, RGB, HSL, and CMYK. Use the copy button next to the hex or on each format row to copy that value to the clipboard.
5. Optionally turn on 3×3 Averaging with the switch below the image. The next time you click or tap, the picked color will be the average of a 3×3 block of pixels around that point. Turn it off to pick a single pixel again.
6. To get a palette from the whole image, click Extract Colors. Wait for the tool to sample the image. A grid of up to 50 colors appears in the Color Palette section. Click any swatch to set that color as the picked color and copy its values if needed. You can run Extract Colors again after loading the image.
7. Use Recent Picks to revisit colors you picked earlier. Click a swatch in that list to set it as the current picked color again.
8. Optionally click Get AI Insights for the picked color. Wait for the result. You may see a vibe, usage note, and harmonies with suggested colors. Click a suggested color to set it as the picked color. This step can fail; the picked color and formats remain available.
9. To start over, click the Clear button. The image and all colors are removed. You can upload a new image.

Calculations & Logic

The tool reads the red, green, and blue value of one or more pixels from the canvas. For a single pixel it uses the values directly. For 3×3 averaging it reads a 3×3 block, sums the red, green, and blue channels, divides by the number of pixels, and rounds. That average is then converted to all output formats. When working with related formats, compressing images can be a useful part of the process.

Hex is built from the RGB values. Each value from 0 to 255 is turned into two hex digits and joined with a hash. RGB is shown as rgb(r, g, b). HSL is computed from RGB: the formula uses the max and min of the three channels, then hue, saturation, and lightness are derived and shown in degrees and percent. CMYK is computed from RGB: first RGB is converted to a 0–1 range, then cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are derived with a standard formula and shown in percent. All of these are standard conversion formulas.

Extract Colors samples the canvas. It does not read every pixel; it steps by a distance that depends on image size so that about 10000 pixels are sampled. Each sampled pixel is quantized: red, green, and blue are rounded to the nearest 10 (e.g. 0, 10, 20, … 250). Quantized colors are grouped and counted. The average RGB for each group is kept. Groups are sorted by count from highest to lowest and the top 50 are shown. So you see up to 50 colors that appear most often in the image, with similar shades merged by quantization.

Brightness is used only to decide whether to show light or dark text on the color swatch. A simple weighted sum of R, G, and B is used. If the result is below a threshold, the text is light; otherwise it is dark so the hex remains readable on the swatch.

Reference Tables or Scales

Limits you must respect: In some workflows, generating placeholder images is a relevant follow-up operation.

Color formats shown for the picked color:

Tips, Limitations & Best Practices

Use 3×3 Averaging when the area you want is slightly mixed or noisy. It gives a single representative color for that spot. Turn it off when you need the exact value of one pixel.

Respect the 10MB and dimension limits. Compress or resize very large images before uploading if you get an error. The tool will scale down oversized images; for best accuracy pick from an image that is already a reasonable size.

Extract Colors is based on sampling and grouping. You get up to 50 colors, with similar shades merged. For a different palette you can run extraction again; the result can vary slightly. The list is sorted by how often each color appears, so the first swatches are the most dominant. For related processing needs, viewing image metadata handles a complementary task.

AI insights are optional and can fail. If you see an error or a generic message, you still have the picked color and all formats. Do not rely on AI for the core pick or conversion.

The tool does not save or export palettes to a file. You copy values one by one or use Recent Picks and the extracted palette in the session. To keep colors for later, paste them into a document or design file.

On mobile, use tap to pick. The zoom lens and hover preview may not appear; the picked color and formats work the same. A hint at the bottom reminds you to drag to move and tap to pick.

Clear removes everything. If you need the current image or palette again, do not click Clear until you have copied any values you need.