What is HSL and why use it in CSS?

HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) is easier to reason about than HEX or RGB. You can create hover states by adjusting only the lightness value, making it ideal for CSS custom properties.

What's the difference between HSL and HSB?

HSL (Hue Saturation Lightness) and HSB/HSV (Hue Saturation Brightness) are similar but differ in how 'maximum brightness' works. HSL's full saturation at 50% lightness = pure colour; HSB's 100% brightness can still produce white-ish tones.

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Developer Tools

Color Picker & Converter

Pick colors visually and convert between HEX, RGB, HSL, and HSB formats instantly.

Last updated July 1, 2026

How to use Color Picker & Converter

1Use the color wheel or enter a HEX, RGB, or HSL value.
2The tool instantly converts to all other formats.
3Copy any format with one click for use in your CSS or design tool.
4Use the tint/shade generator to explore a full color scale.

Why use this tool

Converts between all major CSS color formats in one place.
Includes a tint-and-shade scale for building design system palettes.
All values are copyable in the exact format CSS expects.

Use cases

Implementing a design token

Convert a HEX color from Figma into its HSL equivalent so you can use CSS custom properties with consistent lightness adjustments.

Building a color palette

Pick a brand color and generate a full 50–900 scale of tints and shades for a design system.