Color Palette Generator

This calculator turns a single base hue into a set of harmonious accent hues using classical color-wheel relationships, rather than generating an arbitrary palette from scratch. Pick a Base Hue (0-359°) and a Harmony Type, and it returns a Secondary Hue and Tertiary Hue placed at fixed angular offsets from your base: 180° apart for complementary, 30° for analogous, 120° for triadic, and 150°/210° for split-complementary. The Hue Step shown is that same offset, restated as a standalone figure. Because every offset is a fixed rotation around the color wheel, the Base Hue is the only input that changes which specific hues come out — the Harmony Type changes the spacing pattern, not the starting point.

Saturation is collected but not used anywhere in the hue math here; it exists as a reminder to apply a consistent saturation value when you translate these hue numbers into actual RGB or HSL swatches, not as something this calculator factors into its output. Lightness Step is a separate, independent calculation: it spreads Palette Size total swatches evenly across a fixed 15%-85% lightness range, so a larger palette produces closer (smaller) lightness increments between shades. It has no connection to hue harmony at all — a palette could use one lightness step for every hue in the harmony, or the two axes can be combined however your design system needs. What this tool does not do is check for perceptual contrast, accessibility, or how the resulting swatches will actually look against each other on screen.