Tool Overview

This color picker helps you choose a text color and a background color and see how they look together. It shows the contrast between the two colors and tells you if the pair is easy to read for most people.

Many sites and apps use colors that look nice but are hard to read. Low contrast causes eye strain and makes text difficult for people with vision problems. This tool lets you pick colors and check contrast in one place so you can fix issues before you ship.

You get a visual picker and a hex input. You can copy the color in several formats such as hex, RGB, HSL, CSS, and others. An optional helper can suggest a lighter or darker shade that improves contrast. The tool is for designers, developers, and anyone who sets text and background colors. You can use it with little experience.

Background & Concept Explanation

Color on screens is often described in hex codes. A hex color looks like #2C2C34. The first two characters are red, the next two green, the last two blue. Each part goes from 00 to FF. So #000000 is black and #FFFFFF is white. A related operation involves generating color palettes as part of a similar workflow.

RGB and HSL are other ways to describe the same color. RGB gives three numbers for red, green, and blue. HSL gives hue, saturation, and lightness. This tool shows hex, RGB, and HSL for the color you pick so you can use the format your project needs.

Contrast is how different the text color is from the background. High contrast makes text easy to read. Guidelines called WCAG define minimum contrast ratios for normal and large text. If your ratio is too low, some people cannot read the content. The tool computes the ratio and shows whether you pass or fail for normal and large text.

Choosing colors by eye is unreliable. Two colors can look fine on one screen and fail on another. Doing the math by hand is slow. This tool does the contrast math for you and shows a live preview so you can decide quickly. For adjacent tasks, picking colors from images addresses a complementary step.

Key Features

• Text and background colors. You work with two colors: one for text and one for the background. Tabs let you switch between editing the text color and the background color. This matters because readability depends on both.
• Visual color picker. A hue and saturation picker lets you choose a color by clicking or dragging. You see the color change as you move. This is faster than typing numbers when you are exploring.
• Hex input field. You can type or paste a hex value such as #FF5733. The tool checks the format and can add the # and pad short values to six digits. Invalid input is marked so you can fix it.
• RGB and HSL display. For the current color the tool shows the RGB and HSL values. You can click to copy either string. This helps when you need to use the color in code or design software that uses RGB or HSL.
• Contrast ratio and WCAG score. The tool calculates the contrast ratio between the text and background colors. It shows whether the pair passes WCAG for normal text and for large text. You see Fail, AA, or AAA so you know if you need to adjust.
• Recent colors. The last several colors you picked or applied are kept in a short list. You can click one to use it again. This speeds up trying small changes.
• Accessibility helper. If the current contrast is low, you can ask for a suggestion. You choose lighter or darker. The tool returns a suggested color and a short reason. You can apply it with one click. This helps when you want to keep the same hue but improve readability.
• Live preview. A preview area shows sample heading and body text plus button styles using your chosen text and background colors. You see how the combination looks in practice before you use it elsewhere.
• Code export. For both text and background colors you can copy the value as hex, as a CSS color rule, as a Tailwind-style class, or as a JSON key-value pair. This saves time when you paste into stylesheets or config.
• Sample and reset. A sample button loads a default text and background pair. A reset button restores those defaults and clears recent colors so you can start over.

Common Use Cases

Web and app design. When you set text and background colors for a page or component, use this tool to pick colors and confirm the contrast passes. Then copy the hex or CSS into your project.

Accessibility checks. If a design or client asks for WCAG compliance, pick the same text and background colors here. Check the ratio and the AA or AAA result. Adjust until it passes.

Documentation and slides. For docs or presentations you often choose a background and then a text color. Use the preview to see heading and body together and use the code export to paste into your doc or slide tool. When working with related formats, checking color contrast can be a useful part of the process.

Theme and brand colors. When defining a theme you might fix the background and try several text colors. The recent colors list and the contrast score help you compare options quickly.

Learning color and contrast. If you are new to hex and contrast, the tool shows RGB and HSL for each color and explains pass or fail. You can experiment and see how small changes affect the ratio.

How to Use This Tool (Step-by-Step)

1. Open the tool. You will see two tabs: Text and Background. The text color and background color start with default values.
2. Choose which color to edit. Click the Text tab to change the text color or the Background tab to change the background color.
3. Pick a color. Use the visual picker by clicking or dragging. Or type a hex value in the input field, for example #3498DB. The tool will check and normalize the value.
4. Check the contrast. Look at the contrast ratio and the WCAG result on the right. If it says Fail, try a lighter or darker shade. You can use the accessibility helper to get a suggestion.
5. Use the accessibility helper if needed. Click Darker or Lighter. Wait for the suggested color and reason. Click the apply button to use that color.
6. Copy the color. Click the RGB or HSL value to copy it. Or use the code export section to copy hex, CSS, Tailwind, or JSON for the text and background colors.
7. Reuse a recent color. If you want to try a color you used before, click it in the Recent list.
8. Start over if you like. Click Sample to load the default pair or Reset to restore defaults and clear recent colors.

Calculations & Logic

The tool computes relative luminance for each color from its red, green, and blue parts. The formula follows the same method used in WCAG. Brighter colors have higher luminance; darker colors have lower luminance. In some workflows, looking up HTML color names is a relevant follow-up operation.

The contrast ratio is the luminance of the lighter color plus a small constant, divided by the luminance of the darker color plus the same constant. The result is a number such as 4.5 or 7.0. A higher number means stronger contrast.

For normal-sized text, WCAG AA requires a ratio of at least 4.5 to 1. AAA requires at least 7 to 1. For large text, AA requires at least 3 to 1 and AAA at least 4.5 to 1. The tool compares your ratio to these thresholds and shows Fail, AA, or AAA for normal and for large text.

RGB and HSL are derived from the current hex color. The tool does not let you type RGB or HSL directly; you change the color via the picker or hex input and the tool updates the displayed RGB and HSL. For related processing needs, converting RGB to hex handles a complementary task.

Reference: WCAG Contrast Requirements

Large text is typically at least 18 point or 14 point bold. The tool shows both normal and large results so you can aim for the level you need.

Tips, Limitations & Best Practices

Test with real content. The preview uses sample text. For real projects, check your actual font size and weight. Large text has looser requirements, so increasing size or boldness can help you pass.

Do not rely on color alone. Contrast helps readability but some users need more than color to understand information. Use labels, icons, or patterns in addition to color where it matters.

The tool works in hex only for input. You cannot type RGB or HSL values to set the color. Use the picker or paste a hex code. If your source gives RGB, convert it to hex elsewhere or use a hex value the tool suggests.

The accessibility helper needs network access. If the suggestion fails, check your connection or try a different shade manually. The contrast ratio and preview still work offline.

Recent colors are not saved when you leave the page. If you need to keep a palette, copy the hex or code values before closing.

Colors can look different on other screens and in print. Use this tool to meet contrast guidelines, but test on real devices and in different lighting when you can.