How does the color extraction algorithm work?

The tool samples pixels across the image and uses a color quantization algorithm to group similar colors together. The most frequently occurring color groups become the dominant colors in the palette.

How many colors can I extract?

You can extract anywhere from 2 to 12 dominant colors. A palette of 5-8 colors is usually ideal for capturing the full character of an image without including overly similar shades.

Do image dimensions affect the results?

Very large images are downsampled internally for performance, which can slightly affect results. For most images, the extracted palette will be consistent regardless of resolution.

Can I use this for creating CSS color variables?

Absolutely. Each extracted color comes with a HEX code that you can directly use as a CSS custom property value, making it easy to build a design token system from an image.

Why are some colors in the palette unexpected?

Shadows, highlights, and background areas contribute to the color analysis. If you see unexpected grays or blacks, they likely come from shadow regions or image borders.

Extract Colors from Image

Automatically extract the dominant color palette from any image.

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Upload Image to Extract Colors

Automatically finds the dominant colors

Extracting a color palette from an image is a powerful technique used in design, branding, web development, and data visualization. Our free Extract Colors from Image tool uses the median cut color quantization algorithm to analyze your image and identify its dominant colors, producing a professional color palette of up to 8 colors ranked by prominence. Unlike simple pixel sampling, median cut divides the color space of your image into regions of equal population, then selects the average color from each region. This approach captures the true color distribution of your image, including subtle tones that dominate large areas and accent colors that define key features. The tool renders a thumbnail of your image on a Canvas element, reads the pixel data, and processes it through the quantization algorithm entirely in your browser. The resulting palette displays each color with its HEX code, RGB values, and approximate percentage of the image it represents. You can copy individual color values with one click or download the entire palette as a JSON file for use in design tools, CSS generators, or programmatic workflows. This tool is perfect for designers seeking color inspiration from photographs, brand managers extracting corporate colors from reference images, developers generating theme colors for applications, and artists building harmonious palettes from nature and reference imagery. All processing runs locally — your images never leave your device.

How to Extract Colors from an Image

Upload Your Image

Click the upload area or drag and drop any image file. JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, and other major formats are supported.

Automatic Color Extraction

The tool automatically analyzes your image using the median cut algorithm and extracts up to 8 dominant colors within seconds.

Review the Palette

View the extracted colors as large swatches with HEX codes and RGB values. Colors are ranked by dominance in the image.

Copy or Download

Click any color to copy its HEX or RGB value, or download the entire palette as a JSON file for use in your projects.

Why Extract Colors from Images?

Generate professional color palettes from photographs and artwork

Extract brand colors from logos and marketing materials automatically

Create harmonious color themes based on real-world inspiration

Uses median cut algorithm for accurate, perceptually relevant results

Download palettes as JSON for programmatic use in design systems

Complete privacy — all analysis happens in your browser

Use Cases

Creating website color themes from brand photographyExtracting corporate brand colors from logo imagesGenerating color palettes for UI and graphic design projectsBuilding data visualization color schemes from reference imagesFinding complementary colors for interior design from inspiration photosAnalyzing the color composition of artwork and photography

Best Practices for Color Extraction

Use high-quality images with good color variety for the most interesting palettes
Crop your image to the region of interest before uploading for focused extraction
Expect JPEG compression artifacts to slightly affect extracted colors in highly compressed images
Use the JSON download for precise color values when importing into design tools
Try multiple images of the same subject for a more comprehensive brand palette