ColorFlowTools

Extract a Palette From an Image

Turn any image into a palette of its most representative colors. Upload a photo or graphic and choose how many colors you want, from three to twelve. The extractor groups similar colors, can skip near-transparent pixels, and offers options to exclude near-white and near-black tones or set a minimum saturation so the result reflects the image’s character. Each color shows its share of the image, and you can reorder the palette, copy values, and export CSS variables, SVG, or PNG. Processing uses color quantization on a scaled copy of your image entirely in the browser, so nothing is uploaded. Results vary by image and settings, which the tool explains rather than presenting one palette as definitive.

Drag & drop an image or click to choose

PNG, JPG, or WebP. Processed locally in your browser.

Your image is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded to our servers.

How to use the Image Palette Extractor

  1. Upload an image. Drag and drop or choose a file. It is processed locally in your browser.
  2. Set the color count. Pick between 3 and 12 representative colors.
  3. Tune the filters. Optionally exclude near-white/black, set a minimum saturation, or ignore transparent pixels.
  4. Export the palette. Copy HEX or RGB, export CSS variables, or download an SVG or PNG.

Examples

  • Palette from a landscape: Extract six colors from a sunset photo to build a warm, coordinated theme.
  • Brand-photo palette: Pull the dominant colors from a product shot to align a page with the product.

How it works

The extractor reduces the image to a manageable set of colors using quantization: it samples pixels, groups them into clusters of similar color, and returns each cluster’s representative color and frequency. Because it works on a downscaled copy and merges similar colors, results depend on the image content and your settings, so two runs with different options can differ.

Common use cases

  • Creating a palette inspired by a photograph
  • Deriving a theme that matches key imagery on a page
  • Summarizing an image’s colors for a moodboard

Privacy

All color calculations run in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server. Saved palettes and recent colors are kept only in your browser’s local storage and can be cleared at any time.

Frequently asked questions

Why do results change when I adjust settings?

Extraction depends on the image and the algorithm’s parameters. Changing the color count or filters changes which clusters are formed, so the palette shifts accordingly.

Is the image uploaded?

No. Your image is processed locally in your browser and is not uploaded to our servers.

How many colors should I extract?

Three to five colors capture the main mood; eight to twelve capture more nuance. Start around five and adjust.

Can I remove background colors?

You can exclude near-white and near-black tones and set a minimum saturation, which often removes flat backgrounds.

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