Color Palette from Image

Color Palette from Image is a free tool that finds the main colors in a photo or artwork. Choose 5 to 30 colors and see each hex code and how much of the image it covers, click the image to pick exact colors, then download a Procreate .swatches file, an Adobe .ase file, a GIMP .gpl palette, a PNG palette card or CSS variables. It runs in your browser, so your image is never uploaded.

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Drop in a photo, painting or screenshot and get its main colors with hex codes and how much of the image each one covers. Click the image to pick exact colors, fine-tune any swatch, and download the palette for Procreate, Adobe apps, GIMP, Inkscape or your CSS. Your image stays on your device.

Drop an image here, click to choose one, or paste it

JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF. Photos, artwork, screenshots and fabric swatches all work.

How to Make a Color Palette from an Image

Step by step

  1. Drop an image onto the box above, click it to choose a file, or paste an image with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).
  2. Choose how many colors you want, from 5 to 30. The palette updates right away.
  3. Click the image to add exact colors, or select a swatch and click the image to replace it. Remove colors you don't need.
  4. Name the palette and download it for Procreate, Adobe apps or GIMP, save it as a PNG, or copy the hex codes.

How do I import the palette into Procreate?

  1. On your iPad, click Procreate (.swatches). Safari saves the file to the Downloads folder in the Files app.
  2. Open the Files app and tap the .swatches file. It opens in Procreate and appears at the bottom of your Palettes list.
  3. Or, in Procreate, tap the Colors circle, open Palettes, tap + and choose New from File, then pick the downloaded file.

If you made the palette on a computer, AirDrop the .swatches file to your iPad or save it to iCloud Drive, then tap it in Files. Procreate palettes hold up to 30 colors, which is why the maximum here is 30.

How do I use the palette in Photoshop, Illustrator or GIMP?

For Adobe apps, download the .ase file. In Photoshop, open the Swatches panel menu and choose Import Swatches. In Illustrator, open the Swatches panel menu and choose Open Swatch Library, then Other Library. For GIMP, Inkscape or Krita, download the .gpl file and import it as a palette. Affinity apps can also import .ase files.

How are the colors picked?

The tool groups similar pixels with k-means clustering in the CIELAB color space, which matches how people perceive color differences. Each swatch is the average color of one group, and the percentage shows how much of the image that group covers. It's classic color math, not AI, and the same image always gives the same palette.

Why doesn't a small accent color show up?

Colors that cover only a tiny part of the image can get merged into a larger group. Raise the number of colors, or simply click that spot on the image to add the exact color to your palette.

Is my image uploaded?

No. The image is read and analyzed in your browser, and the palette files are created on your device. Nothing is uploaded or saved. See our Privacy Policy.

Can I use this for embroidery, knitting or paint colors?

Yes. The palette is a good starting point for choosing yarn, floss, fabric or paint. Screen colors never match physical materials exactly, so compare against real samples in daylight. To turn a picture into a stitch chart with thread numbers, try our Image to Pixel Art Grid tool.