The 10 best design & color generators
Color palettes, gradients, CSS shadows, WCAG contrast, unit conversions and avatars. The toolkit of the rushed designer.
- 01 🌑 CSS box-shadow generator Design CSS shadows with live preview: offset, blur, spread, color and inset shadows. Copy the ready-to-paste box-shadow code. 100% free.
- 02 🎯 Image color picker Upload an image and get its dominant color palette, or click any pixel for its exact HEX. Nothing is uploaded to any server. Free.
- 03 🎨 Color format converter Convert colors between HEX, RGB, HSL and HSV instantly, with live preview. Great for CSS, design and development. Runs in your browser.
- 04 🎨 Color palette generator Generate harmonious color palettes in one click. Analogous, complementary, triadic and monochromatic schemes with HEX, RGB and HSL codes ready to copy.
- 05 🌈 CSS gradient generator Build linear, radial and conic CSS gradients with live preview. Copy ready-to-paste code, multi-stop support and modern background styles.
- 06 🟢 Hex color generator Generate HEX color codes instantly with live preview. Convert between HEX, RGB and HSL and grab the exact code ready for CSS.
- 07 ⚖️ Color contrast checker Check whether your text and background combo meets WCAG 2.1 AA or AAA. Get the exact contrast ratio with live preview, free, no signup.
- 08 💨 Tailwind color generator Generate an 11-shade Tailwind-style scale (50-950) from any base color. Copy HEX values ready for your config or browse the full official palette.
- 09 🎲 Random color generator Generate a random color in HEX, RGB and HSL instantly. Great for quick design, mocks, palette ideas or breaking creative block.
- 10 🏷️ Color name suggester Drop in a HEX code and we suggest a descriptive name (warm coral, deep navy, dusty rose). Great for design systems, palettes and documentation.
Why this category matters
Every design decision takes time you choose to take. Having a generator at hand for a palette or shadow reduces friction and lets you iterate 10 times in the time you used to do 3.
How to pick the right generator
- For palettes, validate WCAG contrast before locking them in.
- Realistic CSS shadows tend to be subtle: blur > spread.
- In fluid typography, use clamp() instead of media queries when possible.
When to use them
- Initial mockups and prototypes.
- Onboarding new design systems.
- Quick accessibility validation.