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One of the most important steps when starting any graphic or web design project is to create a fitting colour palette to use across the whole design and coming up with a creative colour palette can also be a time-consuming task. Still, this post is here to make that process easier for you.

In this post, I’m featuring some of the best colour palette tools and generators that you can use to create a useful colour palette for any design with just a few clicks.

Some of these generators will also help you find to colour palettes based on varying trends like flat colour and material colour design. So of the tools featuring today also include hex code you can copy to add proper colour codes when designing websites.

4 Hints To Help Create Colour Palettes

Before we start the list, let’s learn the basics of creating great colour palettes.

1. Four Types Of Colour Palettes

First and foremost, you should note that we have four main types of colour palettes.

First is Monochromatic
Monochromatic colour palettes are the ones you create using different shades of the same colour. These are very easy to make and commonly used by popular brands.

Second is Analogous
Analogous palettes consist of colours that are close to each other on the colour wheel. When you pick the main colour, then the colours right next to it can be chosen as secondary colours for this type of palette.

Thirdly is Complementary
Complementary is similar to Analogous, Complementary palettes are comprised of colours that are opposite to each other in the colour wheel.

Last and fourth is Triadic
Triadic palettes are made of three main colours. These colours palettes are best for creating visible contrast in designs.

2. Consider The Colour Psychology

There’s a factor of psychology involved in colours. According to colour psychology, different colours have a substantial effect on provoking specific emotions in humans. For example, the colour black can be associated with elegance, mystery, and authority.

Consider applying the colour psychology when picking colours for your colour palette.

3. Colour Trends

It’s essential also to consider colour trends when creating a colour palette. Particularly if you’re making a design for a modern brand or a startup, trends play a significant role in appealing to current audiences.

Trends are continually changing, and there are many different trends you can apply to your colour palettes like the flat colour trend, material design colours, metro colours and more.

4. Finding Inspiration From Photos

Some of the best colours are found in real-life, and if you prefer a more realistic and nature-inspired colour palette, you can use photos to find inspiration for your colour palette. Some tools and apps allow you to generate colour palettes based on photos and images as well.

So now let’s start exploring the colour palette tools and generators.

1. ColorSpace

Colorspace

ColorSpace is a easy to use palette generator that allows you to create colour palettes with just one-click. All you have to do is enter a main colour hex code to the website and then hit the Generate button. Then the tool generates different styles of colour palettes along with matching gradients.

2. Khroma

Khroma

Khroma is a modern colour palette generator that uses AI technology to come up with creative colour palettes. First, you have to select 50 different colours to train the AI to generate colour palettes based on your selections.

Then you’ll be able to choose from numerous colour combinations generated by the AI to find the right colour palette for your project.

3. Canva’s Color Palette Generator

Canvas Color Palette Generator

Canva’s colour palette generator features very basic functionality, but it does its job perfectly. The tool is simple, you upload a photo or an image to the site, and the tool automatically generates a colour palette based on the main colours from the image. Then you can copy the colour codes with just a single click.

Even though the tool offers limited features, it’s ideal for finding the base colours for creating a natural colour palette.

4. Colourcode

Colour Code

Colourcode is a simple colour palette maker that you can use to create unique colour schemes by merely hovering your mouse cursor around on the screen. Once you find a colour simple left-clicking selects it and then you can move on to the next colour. The tool also allows you to find colours based on the monochrome, analogic, triad, and other types as well.

5. Colllor

Colllor

Colllor is yet another simple colour palette generator that offers a more straightforward experience in creating colour palettes. Simply select main and secondary colours, and it will generate a selection of colour palettes for you to choose from and customise.

6. Coolors

Coolors

Coolors is one of the easy to use colour palette generators that are ideal for beginners. It lets you create colour palettes from scratch or explore palettes made by others.

This tool also includes a useful option for uploading images to pick the base colours from photos. By creating an account on the site, you can save your palettes on the cloud and create your collections to access later as well.

7. Adobe Color Wheel

Adobe Color

This is an excellent colour palette creator made by Adobe for professional designers. This tool also allows you to create colour palettes based on monochromatic, triad, analogous and other palette types. Also, you can upload an image to extract colours from it as well.

8. Color Tool

Color Tool

Color Tool is an advanced colour palette maker designed for web and user interface designers. This tool allows you to generate material design colour palettes based on user interface and accessibility categories. A beneficial feature of this tool is how it offers a live preview as you select colours for the palette.

9. Color Hunt

Color Hunt

Color Hunt is a massive collection of colour palettes made by designers. It includes many different types of colour palettes that you can explore based on popularity or trends. Since other designers already craft these colour palettes, you can easily pick a palette and start your design.

The tool also lets you create your colour palettes as well. However, it might require a bit of experience to find the best colours for your palette.

10. Colormind

Colormind

Colormind is different beginner-friendly colour palette generator that includes a very neat feature that allows you to live preview your colour palette applied to example design. It also lets you choose between material and paper colour designs as well as the ability to switch between sites and template designs.

In addition to generating colour palettes with just one-click, Colormind lets you create colour palettes from images as well.

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