Extract Color Palette from Photo
How It Works
PixelPeeper analyzes your photo and extracts up to 8 dominant colors using median cut quantization. The result is a clean color palette that represents the most prominent tones in your image.
- Upload a JPEG, PNG, or WebP image
- The color palette appears as a strip of swatches below the photo
- Hover over a swatch to see the hex code
- Click a swatch to copy the hex code to your clipboard
Use Cases for Color Palettes
Extracting colors from photos is useful for a variety of creative and design tasks:
- Graphic design — Build a cohesive color scheme from a reference photo
- Web design — Match website colors to brand photography
- Interior design — Find paint or fabric colors that match a mood board image
- Art & illustration — Study the color composition of paintings or photographs
- Social media — Create on-brand graphics that complement your photos
About Color Quantization
A typical photo contains millions of individual colors. To produce a useful palette, these colors need to be grouped into a small set of representative values. This process is called color quantization.
PixelPeeper uses the median cut algorithm, which works by repeatedly splitting the color space along its widest axis. This produces perceptually distinct colors that capture the overall feel of the image better than simple averaging.
Tips for Better Palettes
- Use high-quality photos: Heavily compressed images may produce muddier colors due to JPEG artifacts.
- Crop first if needed: If you want colors from a specific area, crop the image before uploading.
- Try different photos: The same scene shot in different lighting will produce very different palettes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What image formats are supported?
You can upload JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, and GIF images. RAW files (ARW, CR2, NEF, etc.) are supported for EXIF viewing but color palette extraction is not available for RAW formats.
How many colors are extracted?
PixelPeeper extracts up to 8 dominant colors from each image. This is enough to capture the key tones without overwhelming you with too many similar shades.
Can I use the extracted colors commercially?
Yes. Colors themselves are not copyrightable. You are free to use any hex codes extracted from your photos in any project, commercial or personal.
Why does my palette look different from what I see in the photo?
The algorithm extracts colors based on how much area they occupy in the image, not how visually prominent they appear to you. A large neutral background will dominate the palette even if a small, bright subject catches your eye first. Try cropping to the area of interest for more focused results.
Related Tools
- Online EXIF Data Viewer — View all metadata in your photos
- Remove EXIF Data — Strip metadata from photos without quality loss
- Camera Shutter Count — Check how many shots your camera has taken