Deviated Spectrum

Color Lab

Color Lab

Color Wheel

Click the wheel to pick a color. The wheel reflects your current saturation and lightness.

Harmony

Your Palette (max 5)

Harmony Explorer

Select a harmony type to see the geometric relationship on the wheel.

Hue · Saturation · Lightness

The three dials of every color.

Tint

Hue + white. Lighter, softer, more pastel.

Shade

Hue + black. Darker, deeper, more dramatic.

Tone

Hue + gray. Muted, subdued, more natural.

Value Check

"Value does the work, color gets the credit." Toggle grayscale to see if your palette has real tonal contrast.

Value Scale

The squint test: Squint at your work or desaturate it. If all the colors collapse into the same gray, your composition has no value structure.

Color Proportion

Same colors, completely different feel based on how much of each you use.

Albers' actor analogy: Colors are actors. Same cast, different performances — depending on who leads and who supports.

Saved Palettes

Simultaneous Contrast

Both inner squares are the exact same color. Context changes everything.

Josef Albers (1963): "No one sees color independently of its illusionary changes."

Contrast Checker

WCAG requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Sample Text
86% of the top million websites fail minimum contrast requirements.

Warm & Cool

Color temperature shapes emotion and spatial perception.

Warm - Advances
Cool - Recedes
Spatial trick: Warm colors appear closer; cool colors retreat. Painters use warm foregrounds and cool backgrounds to build depth.

Color Psychology

Common emotional associations.

RedPassion
OrangeEnergy
YellowJoy
GreenGrowth
BlueTrust
PurpleMystery
PinkTender
BlackPower

Quick Reference

Primary
Red, Yellow, Blue
Secondary
Orange, Green, Violet
Tertiary
Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, etc.
Hue - the pure color
Saturation - vivid vs. muted
Lightness - bright vs. dark
Value - perceived brightness
Tint - hue + white
Shade - hue + black
Tone - hue + gray
Chroma - color purity

Guide

Click any section to expand.

Explore

Color Wheel

Click the wheel to pick a color. Edge = more vivid, center = more muted. The wheel updates as you change saturation and lightness.

Harmony / Palette Toggle

Harmony shows the shape for your selected harmony type on the wheel. Palette maps your saved colors onto a lightness wheel so you can see how they relate by hue and brightness.

Harmony Explorer

Pick a harmony type to see which colors pair well together. Click any color in the row to make it the new base.

Primary Color Box

Shows your active color. Click the hex to type or paste one. copies it. randomizes.

Hue, Saturation & Lightness

Hue picks the color. Saturation controls how vivid or gray. Lightness controls how bright or dark.

Tint, Shade & Tone

Three variations: lighter (+white), darker (+black), muted (+gray). Click any box to use it as your new color.

Your Palette

Build up to 5 colors. + adds, imports, exports, 💾 saves to collection, 🗑 clears. Click a swatch to select it. Drag to reorder.

70/30 Preview

Previews how a new color (30%) pairs with your first saved color (70%). Useful for testing accents.

Value Check

Toggle grayscale to see if your palette has real light/dark contrast. Same gray = flat palette.

Color Proportion

Adjust how much of each color you use. Sliders total 100%. Same palette, completely different feel.

Palettes

Saved Palettes

Long-term storage. Rename, reorder (▲▼), load (↙), export (↓), delete (✕), or import (↑) palettes. Everything saves in your browser.

More

Simultaneous Contrast

Two identical colors look different depending on their background. Slide the controls to see it in action.

Contrast Checker

Pick two colors and check if they're readable together. Shows pass/fail for WCAG AA and AAA.

Warm & Cool / Psychology

Warm colors feel close and energetic. Cool colors feel distant and calm. The chips show common associations - starting points, not rules.

General

Theme Toggle

The switch next to the title flips between dark and light mode.

Title Animation

The "Color Lab" letters cycle through your saved palette colors.