Color Picker | Screen Color Picker

⚠️

Your browser does not support screen color picking

The EyeDropper API is currently available only in Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Opera. You can:
• Switch to Chrome or Edge
• Or use the "Image Color Picker" tool to upload a screenshot and pick colors

After clicking the button, move the cursor anywhere on the screen and click to pick a color; press ESC to cancel

🎨 Current Color

#3B82F6

RGBrgb(59, 130, 246)

HSLhsl(217, 91%, 60%)

🌈 Color Schemes

Click any swatch to copy its HEX value

Analogous

3 colors

#3CE0F6

#3C83F6

#523CF6

Complementary

2 colors

#3C83F6

#F6AF3C

Split Complementary

3 colors

#3C83F6

#F6523C

#E0F63C

Triadic

3 colors

#3C83F6

#F63C83

#83F63C

Tetradic

4 colors

#3C83F6

#AF3CF6

#F6AF3C

#83F63C

Square

4 colors

#3C83F6

#F63CE0

#F6AF3C

#3CF652

💡 Tips

After clicking "Start Screen Color Picking", the cursor becomes an eyedropper — move it over the color you want and click.
Press ESC while picking to cancel the current action without affecting colors you have already picked.
Once a color is picked, six color schemes are generated below so you can quickly find matching colors.
All picking actions are performed by you; the page never captures your screen on its own.

✅

About the Color Picker

The Color Picker is a free online color picker based on the EyeDropper API, letting you pick colors from anywhere on the screen directly in your browser without installing any software. After you click the button, the cursor enters eyedropper mode; move it to the target color and click to get that point's HEX, RGB and HSL values, with one-click copying. The tool automatically generates six color schemes such as analogous, complementary, triadic and tetradic, and records a color-picking history for easy comparison and review. Whether you are doing web design, front-end development, PPT creation, or want to borrow a color from some interface, this Color Picker solves the problem of "seeing a color but being unable to locate it precisely". It is ideal for designers, developers, teachers and color enthusiasts.

What is a Color Picker

A Color Picker, also called a screen color picker or eyedropper, is a practical tool that can directly pick pixel colors from what is displayed on screen. It first appeared in image editing software and gradually became a daily tool for designers and developers. The traditional approach requires taking a system screenshot first, then opening image color-picking software to read pixel by pixel, which is cumbersome. The EyeDropper API provided by modern browsers lets web pages directly invoke system-level color-picking capability: after the user clicks the button, they enter full-screen color-picking mode and can click anywhere on screen to get a value. The whole process is executed by the browser engine, and the web page itself cannot actively read screen content, balancing convenience with privacy and security. This tool adds color format conversion, color scheme generation, history and one-click copy on top of that, making it a more complete and user-friendly online color picker solution.

How to use the Color Picker

Using this Color Picker is very simple. First, click the "Start screen color picking" button in the center of the page, and the browser enters full-screen color-picking mode with the cursor changing to an eyedropper shape. Second, move the mouse to the position where you want to pick a color; the screen displays the color and its value at that point in real time, and clicking locks it. Third, the color immediately returns to the tool page, displaying a large swatch and the HEX, RGB and HSL formats, each with a copy button you can click to copy to the clipboard. Fourth, the tool automatically generates six color schemes — analogous, complementary, split-complementary, triadic, tetradic and square — and each swatch can be copied individually or the whole set with one click. Fifth, the picked colors are added to the "Picking history", keeping at most the most recent 20, and you can click any history swatch to re-select it. Sixth, to pick multiple colors in a row, click the picking button again; during picking, press ESC to cancel at any time without affecting existing results.

Use cases for the Color Picker

The Color Picker has a very wide range of use cases. In web and app design, designers can pick colors directly from reference sites, competitor screenshots and design mockups to quickly build a color scheme; combined with the automatically generated color schemes, a single pick yields a whole set of matching colors. In front-end development, when a design mockup does not provide precise color values, using the screen color picker to read values directly from the mockup screenshot is far more accurate than copying color codes by hand. In PPT and report making, picking colors from a company logo, brand assets or industry charts ensures a consistent visual style. In teaching and demonstration scenarios, instructors can pick colors on screen on the spot to explain color theory. In addition, in illustration, video editing and data visualization, the online color picker is also a frequently used small tool that helps users quickly "move" colors from the screen into their workflow.

How the Color Picker works

The core principle of the Color Picker is to read the RGB value of a pixel on the screen. Depending on the picking range, there are three implementation approaches: first, image color picking, drawing the image onto a Canvas and reading the pixel at specified coordinates through getImageData, with the advantage of compatibility with all browsers; second, desktop screen color picking, first capturing a bitmap of the entire screen and then reading the pixel value at the corresponding coordinates, which most desktop eyedropper tools use; and third, browser screen color picking, i.e. the EyeDropper API used by this tool, where the browser engine directly performs the picking action and the web page only receives a color string, without access to any pixel data or screen content. The EyeDropper API is allowed precisely because it compresses the high-risk capability of "reading the screen" into "getting a value", minimizing security risk. The entire picking action must be actively triggered by the user, and the web page cannot secretly read the screen in the background.

Tips for using the Color Picker

There are a few tips worth noting when using the Color Picker. First, before picking, confirm that the screen brightness and color mode are normal, to avoid deviations from the real color caused by night mode or system filters. Second, when picking, prefer areas with uniform color and avoid gradients, shadows and anti-aliased edges, where pixels vary slightly and may pick an adjacent color. Third, for small icons or text, zoom in on the page before picking for a higher hit rate. Fourth, after picking a color, copy and record it promptly — especially when comparing multiple colors, reviewing through history is more efficient than repeatedly picking. Fifth, make good use of the automatically generated color schemes: one main color pick gives you a whole set of matching colors such as analogous and complementary, saving time and effort compared with manual adjustment. Sixth, if you need to collaborate with a team, you can send the picked HEX or RGB value directly to colleagues, which is more precise than sending a screenshot. Mastering these tips, this online color picker can become an indispensable efficiency assistant in your daily work.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are a color picker and a color extractor the same thing?

Yes. In English usage, color picker, eyedropper and screen color picker are basically synonyms, just with different names. They all refer to tools that pick color values from the screen or an image. This tool supports both screen color picking and color scheme generation, making it a relatively complete online color picker.

Which browsers does the screen color picker support?

Based on the EyeDropper API, it currently supports Chromium-based browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Opera and Brave (Chrome 95+, Edge 95+). Safari and Firefox do not yet support this API; a compatibility warning is shown when the page opens. We recommend switching to Chrome or Edge, or using the "Image Color Picker" tool as an alternative.

What should I do if nothing happens after clicking the picking button?

There are usually three reasons: first, the browser does not support EyeDropper — check whether there is a compatibility warning at the top of the page; second, the page is not focused — first click any blank area of the page to activate the window, then click the button; third, a system permission prompt popped up and was blocked — check whether there is a permission icon on the right side of the browser address bar.

Can the Color Picker achieve 1-pixel precision?

The EyeDropper API reads screen pixels directly through the browser engine, with a precision of 1 pixel. However, the actual color picked is affected by screen scaling, system color management and the display's color gamut, and may differ slightly across devices. For extremely high print-level precision, we recommend using a professional hardware colorimeter.

Will the eyedropper secretly capture my screen?

No. The EyeDropper API is a system-level color-picking feature provided by the browser engine. It only returns the color value of a point when the user actively clicks the button and then clicks a point on the screen, and the web page itself cannot take a screenshot or read screen content. The page only receives a single color value during your operation and never obtains any image data, so you can use it with confidence.

Is the picking history uploaded to a server?

No. All picking results are kept in browser memory and are automatically cleared when you close the page. They are not uploaded to any server and are not written to local storage. You can safely handle interface color schemes containing private content — no trace is left after the page is closed.

Can I pick multiple colors in a row?

Yes. Click "Start screen color picking" → click on screen to pick a color → return to the page and click the button again to continue with the next one. Each picked color is automatically recorded in the "Picking history", keeping at most the most recent 20, and you can click a history swatch to switch quickly.

Can the color schemes generated by the Color Picker be customized?

At present, the color schemes are automatically generated based on the picked color, including six types: analogous, complementary, split-complementary, triadic, tetradic and square. If you want to customize, after picking a main color you can go to the "Color Wheel" or "Color Matching" tool to make further adjustments; those tools support finer-grained adjustment of hue, value and saturation.

What is the difference between screen color picking and image color picking?

Screen color picking reads pixels directly from the screen without uploading an image, and is faster to operate, but relies on browser support for the EyeDropper API. Image color picking requires the user to upload a screenshot or photo, is compatible with all browsers, and is suited to scenarios that need to handle complex images or perform bulk color extraction. The two complement each other and can be used together.

Can the picked colors be used commercially?

The tool itself only performs pixel reading and mathematical calculation and does not involve third-party material copyrights. However, note that if you pick colors from an image, video or interface whose copyright belongs to someone else and use them in a commercial project, the use of the colors is usually not protected by copyright, but the copyright of the original content still belongs to the original author — please comply with relevant laws and regulations when using them.