Color Conversion: HEX, RGB, HSL & CMYK Explained

Color Models Explained

• HEX — Hexadecimal notation (#FF5733). The web standard, compact and easy to share.
• RGB — Red, Green, Blue (0-255). How screens physically display color.
• HSL — Hue, Saturation, Lightness. Intuitive for human perception and adjustments.
• CMYK — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (Black). The print standard using subtractive color mixing.

When to Use Each

Use HEX in CSS, RGB in JavaScript/canvas, HSL when adjusting colors programmatically (it's easier to lighten/darken), and CMYK for print design.

Convert Colors

Use our Color Converter to convert between all four formats with a visual color picker and shade palette generation.