Color Converter

How to use the color converter

What this calculator does

This calculator translates one color among six common notations: RGB, Hex, HSL, HWB, CMYK, and NCol. It is useful when a color arrives in one format but a design tool, stylesheet, print brief, or documentation system expects another. The calculator treats the color as an sRGB value, then derives every other notation from the same canonical red, green, and blue channels. It provides exact mathematical identities for RGB, Hex, HSL, HWB, and NCol within that model. The CMYK result is an arithmetic approximation rather than a printer-specific proof, because professional print conversion depends on paper, ink, press behavior, rendering intent, and an ICC profile.

When to use it

Use the tool when translating a brand color from a Hex code into editable HSL controls, checking an RGB triplet before placing it in CSS, preparing a rough CMYK estimate for a print conversation, or comparing how one color is represented by hue-based systems such as HSL and HWB. The W3C CSS Color Module explains the standardized web color syntaxes behind RGB, Hex, HSL, and HWB.

How to calculate

1. The calculator opens with the complete demonstration color RGB 110, 40, 200. Its results and an immediately usable Excel workbook are already prepared.
2. Choose a color encoding to input. The visible fields change to match RGB, Hex, HSL, HWB, CMYK, or NCol.
3. Replace the sample or enter a complete value in the selected notation. Results update live after every valid edit.
4. Read the large Hex result, the color preview, the five secondary conversion cards, and the Conversion details table.
5. Select Download Excel to create a current-state .xlsx workbook with Summary, Inputs, and Conversions sheets. Reset clears all data and results; after Reset, Excel stays disabled until a complete valid color is entered again.

Input guide

Choose a color encoding to input is required and determines which fields are active. RGB uses Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B), each as an integer from 0 through 255; 110, 40, 200 is a valid example. Higher channel values add more of that emitted light. Do not enter percentages or scientific notation. Hex code accepts #RRGGBB or #RGB, such as #6E28C8; the leading # is optional, but exactly three or six hexadecimal digits are required.

HSL uses required Hue in degrees from 0 through 360, plus required Saturation and Lightness percentages from 0 through 100. For the sample, 266.25, 66.67, and 47.06 reproduce the same purple. Hue wraps around the color wheel conceptually, but this interface requires the stated range. Saturation 0 produces gray regardless of hue; lightness 0 is black and 100 is white. Do not paste degree or percent symbols into these numeric fields.

HWB uses required Hue, Whiteness, and Blackness. Whiteness and blackness are percentages from 0 through 100, and their sum may not exceed 100. Increasing whiteness mixes the hue toward white; increasing blackness moves it toward black. CMYK uses required Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black), each from 0 through 100 percent. A value such as 45, 80, 0, 21.57 is valid for the sample. Do not treat this arithmetic CMYK value as a press-ready profile conversion.

NCol uses required NCol hue, Whiteness, and Blackness. The hue begins with R, Y, G, C, B, or M followed by a number from 0 through 100, such as B43.75. Whiteness and blackness follow the same range and sum rule as HWB. A common mistake is entering an ordinary word or a Hex code in the NCol hue field.

Output guide

Hex is the primary result and shows the six-digit sRGB code. RGB gives the exact integer light channels. HSL reports hue in degrees plus saturation and lightness percentages. HWB reports hue, whiteness, and blackness. CMYK reports the calculated cyan, magenta, yellow, and key percentages. NCol expresses the same hue as a letter-sector code with whiteness and blackness. The header pills repeat Hex, Hue, and Brightness; in this calculator, Brightness is the HSL lightness value, not a physical luminance measurement. The preview is a visual aid, while the Conversion details table names each model, explains its components, and repeats the current value. Zero and boundary values are valid when they satisfy the selected model: RGB 0,0,0 is black, RGB 255,255,255 is white, and HSL saturation 0 is achromatic.

Worked example

For the startup RGB values 110, 40, and 200, the hexadecimal channel pairs are 6E, 28, and C8, so the primary result is #6E28C8. Normalizing the channels gives approximately 0.4314, 0.1569, and 0.7843. The maximum and minimum channels produce an HSL hue of 266.25°, saturation of 66.67%, and lightness of 47.06%. HWB uses the same hue with whiteness equal to the minimum normalized channel, 15.69%, and blackness equal to one minus the maximum channel, 21.57%. The arithmetic CMYK conversion is 45.00%, 80.00%, 0.00%, and 21.57%. Every displayed result and the startup workbook use these same canonical values.