About Image Palette Extractor

Extract the dominant colors from an image. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Images collection.

Use Cases

• Extract brand colors from a client's existing logo or photos
• Generate color schemes for website themes from hero images
• Build dynamic UI themes that adapt to user-uploaded content
• Create mood boards with accurate colors from reference photos

Tips

• Upload an image to extract the top dominant colors
• Copy extracted colors as HEX, RGB, or HSL values
• Use the palette to build a cohesive design color scheme

Fun Facts

• The median cut algorithm, commonly used for palette extraction, was published by Paul Heckbert in 1982 in the SIGGRAPH proceedings.
• Spotify uses album art palette extraction to dynamically color its Now Playing screen, adapting the UI to each album cover.
• The human eye can distinguish approximately 10 million colors, but most images use fewer than 256 truly dominant colors.

FAQ

How many colors does it extract?

Default 5. Configurable up to 20. More colors = less distinct; 5-8 captures the most useful palette.

What algorithm?

k-means clustering in LAB color space (perceptually uniform). Matches what design tools like Adobe Color and Coolors use.

Does it show color proportions?

Yes — each color shows what percentage of the image it represents. Helps pick a primary vs accent color.

Can I export the palette?

Copy as CSS variables, Tailwind config, JSON, or image swatch. Pick the format your target consumes.