How does this converter work?
This tool instantly translates between multiple colour formats including hex, RGB, CMYK, HSV and HSL. Enter a value in any format, and it outputs the corresponding equivalent in all other formats.
There's no need to calculate manually or memorise conversion formulas — just input and get the result.
Understanding different colour formats
- RGB defines colours using red, green, and blue light values (0-255 each). It's the standard for digital displays and is often used in image editing and graphic design software where direct manipulation of light values is needed.
- Hex is a compact, web-friendly representation of RGB using hexadecimal notation (#RRGGBB). It's commonly used in HTML, CSS and web development where character count and readability matter. Both RGB and hex refer to the same colour space but present values differently — decimal versus base-16 encoding.
- CMYK uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black (key) percentages for print media. It represents how colours are created by subtracting light rather than adding it.
- HSV (hue, saturation, value) describes colours in terms of their position on a colour wheel (hue 0-360°), colour intensity (saturation 0-100%) and brightness (value 0-100%). It's intuitive for colour selection.
- HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) is similar to HSV but uses lightness instead of value. Lightness represents how much white or black is mixed with the pure colour, making it useful for creating colour variations.
How do RGB numbers work?
RGB values define the intensity of red, green, and blue light used to compose a colour. Each component is a number between 0 and 255, where:
- 0 means no contribution of that colour
- 255 means full intensity
White is created by combining all three at their maximum values: rgb(255, 255, 255). Black results from all three being zero: rgb(0, 0, 0). By adjusting these numbers, you can create over 16 million possible colours.
Use the RGB boxes above to experiment. Watch how different combinations affect the resulting hue, brightness and saturation.