Image Color Picker
Pick exact colours from any image online free — get HEX, RGB and HSL values by clicking a pixel. No sign-up needed — works entirely in your browser.
An image colour picker that reads the exact hex and RGB value of any pixel. Hover to preview, click to save a swatch, click a swatch to copy the hex. Runs entirely in your browser —no upload, no sign-up — so unreleased designs and client work stay on your device.
Hover, click, copy
Three actions, and they do different things, which is the one thing worth getting straight:
- Hover over the image and the readout shows the hex and RGB values under your pointer, updating live. Nothing is saved yet — this is for hunting.
- Click to save that colour as a swatch. Up to twelve are kept, newest first.
- Click a saved swatch to copy its hex code to your clipboard, with a brief confirmation on the swatch.
The twelve-swatch limit is a rolling window: a thirteenth pick pushes the oldest out. Swatches are not saved between visits, so paste the codes somewhere as you go if you are building a palette.
Use a mouse for this one
Being upfront about it: the live readout tracks a mouse pointer, and a touchscreen has nothing hovering to track. Tapping can still register a pick, but you lose the part that makes the tool useful — seeing a value before committing to it, and sweeping across a gradient to find the shade you want.
On a phone you also cannot place a pointer within a pixel or two of a target on a small screen. For matching a brand colour off a logo or reading a specific shade out of a screenshot, use a desktop or laptop.
Why a sampled colour can differ from your design tool
Worth understanding, because it explains a mismatch people occasionally see. Images arescaled down to a maximum of 1400 pixels on the long side before being sampled, so the picker is fast and the whole image fits on screen.
In flat or smoothly graded areas that changes nothing — a resampled pixel in the middle of a solid block is the same colour as the original. Where it matters is fine detail: a one-pixel border, thin text, a dithered pattern. Scaling blends neighbouring pixels there, so you may read a value that is a mix of two colours rather than either one.
If you need an exact value from fine detail, crop in tight with theimage cropper first so the region you care about survives the downscale at full resolution.
What you get, and what you do not
| You want | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The exact colour of a specific pixel | This tool | You choose the pixel; hex and RGB out |
| The dominant colours of an image | Image palette generator | Extracts a palette automatically |
| A colour scheme from one starting colour | Colour palette generator | Builds harmonies from a base colour |
| Hex to RGB conversion without an image | Hex RGB converter | Direct conversion both ways |
| Lighter or darker versions of a colour | Find colour tint | Generates tints and shades |
| Whether two colours are readable together | WCAG contrast checker | Tests the accessibility ratio |
Values are given as hex and RGB only. That covers web and app work, where hex is the standard. CMYK is deliberately absent: an accurate print conversion depends on paper stock and press profile, so a number produced from a screen pixel would be misleading rather than helpful.
Where a pixel picker earns its keep
- Matching a brand colour from a logo when nobody can find the brand guidelines.
- Rebuilding a design from a screenshot — pulling the exact background, border and accent values out of a UI grab.
- Pulling a palette from a photograph so a page's colours sit naturally with its hero image.
- Checking what a colour actually is when a rendered result does not match what you specified, which usually turns out to be opacity or a colour profile.
- Reading a competitor's or reference site's colours from a screenshot rather than digging through their stylesheets.
That last case has an important privacy angle. Screenshots of internal dashboards, unreleased products and client work are exactly the kind of image people paste into a random web tool without thinking. Here the image never leaves the tab, which is the whole reason to use this one.
Related tools
The image palette generator extracts dominant colours automatically, and the colour palette generator builds a scheme from a starting point. Hex RGB converter handles format conversion,find colour tint generates lighter and darker variants, and theWCAG contrast checker confirms a pair is readable. To sample fine detail accurately, crop first with the image cropper. For gradients built from your picked colours, the CSS gradient generator writes the code.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pick a colour from an image online for free?
Choose an image, then move your pointer over it — the hex and RGB values under the cursor update live. Click anywhere to save that colour as a swatch, and click a saved swatch to copy its hex code to your clipboard. Nothing is uploaded.How do I copy the hex code?
Click any saved swatch and the hex value goes straight to your clipboard, with a brief confirmation on the swatch itself. The live readout while hovering is for finding the colour; clicking is what saves it, and clicking the saved swatch is what copies it.How many colours can I collect?
Twelve, newest first. Picking a thirteenth pushes the oldest off the end of the list, so grab the shades you want in order of importance. There is no way to pin or reorder them, and they are not saved between visits.Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Only partly, and this is worth knowing before you try. The live readout follows a mouse pointer, so on a touchscreen there is nothing hovering to track — tapping can still register a pick, but you cannot preview a colour before committing to it. Use a desktop or laptop for precise work.Why does the colour differ slightly from my design tool?
Large images are scaled down to a maximum of 1400 pixels on the long side before sampling, so on a bigger photo you are reading a resampled pixel rather than an original one. In smooth areas that is identical; on a one-pixel line or fine text it can blend neighbouring colours.Can I get HSL or CMYK values?
No — hex and RGB only, which covers web and app work. For print you will need to convert CMYK in a colour-managed tool anyway, since an accurate conversion depends on the paper and press profile rather than the pixel value.Can it build a whole palette automatically?
Not here. This tool samples the exact pixels you choose, which is what you want when matching a specific brand colour. To have the dominant colours extracted for you automatically, use the image palette generator instead.Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is drawn to a canvas inside your browser and pixels are read locally, so unreleased designs, client mockups and private photos never leave your device. No account, no watermark, and it keeps working with your connection off once loaded.