How to Use This Tool
Load an Image
Drag and drop an image, click to browse, or paste from your clipboard with Ctrl+V. Supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, BMP, and GIF up to 25 MB.
Choose Color Count
Use the slider to set how many colors you want in your palette — anywhere from 2 to 24. The default is 12, which works well for most images.
Extract Palette
Click Extract Palette and the tool analyzes your image to find the most dominant colors. The palette replaces the image preview, showing a color strip and HEX values.
Copy or Download
Click any color to copy its HEX value, use Copy All for the entire palette, or Download Palette to save it as a PNG swatch image.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the color extraction work?
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The tool samples pixels across the image, groups similar colors into buckets, and returns the most frequently occurring colors. This color quantization approach identifies the true dominant colors rather than random samples.
What image formats are supported?
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JPEG, PNG, WebP, BMP, and GIF images up to 25 MB. All common image formats used on the web and in design work are supported.
Is my image uploaded to a server?
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No. This tool runs 100% in your browser. Your image never leaves your device. Color extraction uses the Canvas API to read pixel data locally — no data is transmitted.
How many colors can I extract?
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You can extract between 2 and 24 colors using the slider. The default is 12, which works well for most images. Use fewer for simple graphics and more for detailed photographs.
Can I paste images from my clipboard?
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Yes. Press Ctrl+V to paste an image directly from your clipboard — screenshots, copied images from browsers, or images from design tools.
How do I copy a color value?
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Click any color swatch or HEX value to copy it to your clipboard. Click Copy All to get all palette colors as a comma-separated list.
Can I download the palette?
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Yes. Click Download Palette to save all extracted colors as a PNG image showing color swatches with their HEX values labeled.
Why do similar-looking areas produce different colors?
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Images often contain subtle color variations that look uniform to the eye but are actually different pixel values. JPEG compression also introduces color artifacts. For the most accurate results, use PNG source images.
Can I go back to see my image after extracting?
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Yes. Click Back to Image to return to the image view. You can adjust the color count and extract again without re-uploading.
What is color quantization?
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Color quantization is the process of reducing the number of colors in an image to a smaller set. This tool uses it to group similar pixels and identify the most dominant colors, giving you a representative palette.
What Is Image Palette Extractor?
Image Palette Extractor is a free browser-based tool that automatically extracts the dominant colors from any image. Upload a photo, illustration, or design and instantly get a color palette of 2 to 24 colors with HEX values you can copy and use in your projects.
Everything runs 100% in your browser. Your images are never uploaded to any server. The tool uses the Canvas API to analyze pixel data locally on your device.
Features Explained
Dominant Color Extraction
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The tool samples pixels across your image, groups similar colors together, and returns the most frequently occurring colors. This gives you the true dominant palette of the image rather than random pixel samples.
Adjustable Color Count
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Use the slider to extract anywhere from 2 to 24 colors. Use fewer colors for a simplified palette or more for a detailed color breakdown. The default of 12 captures the main palette without overwhelming detail.
Color Strip Preview
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Extracted colors are displayed as a horizontal strip where each color takes equal space. This gives you an instant visual overview of the palette balance and how colors relate to each other.
One-Click Copy
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Click any color swatch or HEX value to copy it to your clipboard instantly. Use Copy All to get every color in the palette as a comma-separated list.
Download Palette as PNG
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Export your extracted palette as a high-resolution PNG image showing color swatches with HEX labels. The image sizes to 90% of your screen for maximum detail.
Clipboard Paste
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Press Ctrl+V to paste an image directly from your clipboard — screenshots, copied images from browsers, or images from design tools. No need to save to a file first.
Drag and Drop
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Drag any image file from your desktop or file manager directly onto the tool. Supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, BMP, and GIF formats up to 25 MB.
Back to Image
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After extracting a palette, click Back to Image to see your original image again. You can adjust the color count and re-extract without re-uploading.
Who Is This Tool For?
Web Developers
Extract color palettes from design mockups and reference images to build CSS themes, variables, and design tokens.
UI/UX Designers
Analyze color composition of inspiration images and competitor designs to inform your own color palette decisions.
Graphic Designers
Pull dominant colors from client photos and brand assets to create cohesive marketing materials and brand collateral.
Brand Managers
Extract and document color palettes from existing brand materials to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
Photographers
Analyze the color palette of your photos to understand tonal composition and plan color grading decisions.
Interior Designers
Extract palettes from inspiration photos to communicate exact color schemes to clients and material suppliers.
Game Developers
Pull color palettes from concept art and reference images to maintain consistent visual themes in game environments.
Social Media Managers
Extract colors from brand images to create visually consistent social media content across all platforms.
Fashion Designers
Analyze color trends from runway photos and trend reports to inform seasonal color palette decisions.
Illustrators
Extract palettes from reference images and inspiration to build consistent color schemes for illustration projects.
Presentation Designers
Pull colors from brand assets and logos to build matching PowerPoint and Keynote themes.
CSS Theme Builders
Extract palettes from reference designs to generate CSS custom properties, Tailwind configs, and design system tokens.
Marketing Teams
Analyze competitor visual branding by extracting their color palettes from websites, ads, and social media.
Art Directors
Extract and compare palettes across campaign assets to ensure visual consistency and brand alignment.
Students
Learn about color theory by extracting and analyzing palettes from paintings, photographs, and design work.
Architects
Extract color palettes from site photos and material samples to inform exterior and interior design decisions.
Print Designers
Pull dominant colors from digital assets to ensure color consistency when translating designs to print materials.
Film Colorists
Analyze color palettes from reference frames and mood boards to guide color grading for film and video.
Tattoo Artists
Extract palettes from reference images to plan ink color selections and discuss options with clients.
Freelancers
Quickly extract palettes from client-provided images without needing Photoshop or other paid design software.
Tips for Extracting Color Palettes
Start with the default 12 colors
12 colors captures the main palette of most images without overwhelming detail. Adjust up or down after seeing the initial results.
Use fewer colors for logos and icons
Logos and simple graphics typically use 2-5 colors. Set the slider low to extract the exact brand colors without noise.
Use more colors for photographs
Photos have rich color gradients. Set 16-24 colors to capture the full tonal range including highlights, shadows, and accent colors.
Paste screenshots directly
Press Ctrl+V to paste a screenshot from any app or website. This is the fastest way to extract colors without saving a file.
Click colors to copy HEX values
Click any color in the strip or grid to copy its HEX code to your clipboard. A brief 'Copied!' confirmation appears.
Use Copy All for bulk export
Click Copy All to get every palette color as a comma-separated HEX list. Paste directly into your CSS, design tool, or documentation.
Download the palette for reference
Click Download Palette to save a PNG swatch image with all colors and HEX labels. Great for sharing with teammates or archiving.
Re-extract with different counts
After extracting, click Back to Image, adjust the slider, and extract again. Experiment to find the ideal number of colors for your use case.
Use high-quality source images
Higher quality images produce more accurate palettes. JPEG compression artifacts can introduce false colors — use PNG when possible.
Compare palettes across images
Extract palettes from multiple reference images to find common colors and build a unified palette for your project.
Privacy & Security
This tool runs 100% in your browser. Your images are never uploaded to any server. All color extraction happens locally on your device using the Canvas API.
Images are loaded as object URLs that exist only in your browser's memory and are released when you load a new image or click Clear. No cookies are used, no analytics track your images, and no third-party services have access to your data.