How to Extract Colors from Any Website (2025 Guide)

Ever found yourself admiring a website's color scheme and wondering, "How do I get those exact colors?" Whether you're a designer seeking inspiration, a developer analyzing competitor sites, or building a design system, extracting colors from websites is an essential skill.

In this comprehensive guide, I'll show you three methods to extract colors from any website, from beginner-friendly tools to advanced techniques.

Why Extract Colors from Websites?

Before diving into the how, let's explore why this skill is valuable:

• Design Inspiration: Analyze color schemes from successful websites
• Competitive Analysis: Understand how competitors use color in their branding
• Client Work: Match existing brand colors precisely
• Design Systems: Build consistent color palettes based on proven examples
• Learning: Study color theory in practice from professional designs

Method 1: Using HueStack CSS Inspector (Easiest)

The fastest way to extract colors is using a dedicated tool like HueStack. Here's why it's better than manual methods:

• ✅ One-click color extraction - No digging through CSS
• ✅ Complete palette generation - Get all shades from dominant colors
• ✅ Tailwind CSS export - Production-ready code instantly
• ✅ WCAG contrast checking - Ensure accessibility compliance

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Visit HueStack.dev - It's completely free with 100 actions per month

2. Click on any element on the website you want to analyze

3. View extracted colors - See hex values, RGB, and HSL instantly

4. Generate Tailwind palette - Convert any color to a full 11-shade palette (50-950)

5. Copy and export - Get CSS variables, Tailwind config, or SCSS format

Pro tip: Use the "Extract Page Colors" feature to get all colors used on the current webpage in one click.

Method 2: Browser DevTools (Manual Approach)

If you prefer not to install anything, browser DevTools work but require more manual effort:

Chrome/Edge DevTools:

1. Right-click any element → "Inspect"
2. Look at the Styles panel on the right
3. Find color properties: color, background-color, border-color
4. Click the color swatch to see the color picker
5. Copy the hex value manually

Limitations:

• ❌ Only shows colors for selected elements
• ❌ Requires checking multiple elements manually
• ❌ No bulk export functionality
• ❌ Time-consuming for full palette extraction

Firefox DevTools:

Firefox has a slightly better approach:

1. Open DevTools (F12)
2. Go to Inspector tab
3. Use the Color Picker tool (eyedropper icon)
4. Click anywhere on the page to grab that exact color

Still limited: You'll need to manually record each color you extract.

Method 3: Extract Entire Color Palettes

For a comprehensive approach, you want to extract all colors used on a website, not just individual elements.

Using HueStack's Palette Extraction:

HueStack can analyze an entire webpage and extract:

• Primary colors (brand colors, call-to-action buttons)
• Secondary colors (backgrounds, borders, hover states)
• Text colors (headings, body text, links)
• Accent colors (highlights, badges, icons)

The Process:

1. Navigate to the website you want to analyze
2. Open HueStack CSS Inspector
3. Click "Extract Page Colors"
4. View the color frequency analysis
5. Generate Tailwind palettes from dominant colors
6. Export to your preferred format

What you get:

• Complete list of all colors used
• Frequency of each color (how often it's used)
• Automatic palette generation with shade variations
• Export options for Tailwind, CSS Variables, SCSS

Advanced: Generate Tailwind CSS Palettes

Once you've extracted colors, the next step is creating a usable color system. Tailwind CSS uses an 11-shade palette system (50, 100, 200...950).

Convert Single Color to Full Palette:

Let's say you extracted #6366f1 (Indigo) from a website. Here's how to generate a complete Tailwind palette:

Using HueStack:

1. Paste #6366f1 into the color picker
2. Select color space: OKLCH (recommended for perceptual uniformity)
3. Choose base stop: 500 (default)
4. Click "Generate Palette"
5. Get all 11 shades: 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 950

Export to Tailwind Config:

// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      colors: {
        'brand': {
          50: '#eef2ff',
          100: '#e0e7ff',
          200: '#c7d2fe',
          300: '#a5b4fc',
          400: '#818cf8',
          500: '#6366f1',  // Your extracted color
          600: '#4f46e5',
          700: '#4338ca',
          800: '#3730a3',
          900: '#312e81',
          950: '#1e1b4b',
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Best Practices for Color Extraction

1. Extract Brand Colors First

Start with logos, call-to-action buttons, and navigation bars. These typically contain the primary brand colors.

2. Check Color Contrast

Use HueStack's WCAG checker to ensure extracted colors meet accessibility standards:

• AA standard: 4.5:1 for normal text
• AAA standard: 7:1 for enhanced accessibility

3. Consider Color Context

Colors look different on various backgrounds. Extract both:

• The color itself
• Its background for context

4. Build a Complete System

Don't just extract individual colors. Create:

• Primary palette (brand colors)
• Secondary palette (supporting colors)
• Neutral palette (grays for text/backgrounds)

5. Test Across Devices

Colors can appear different on various screens. Test your extracted colors on:

• Different monitors (IPS vs TN panels)
• Mobile devices
• Dark mode contexts

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake 1: Only Extracting Hover States

Many websites change colors on hover. Make sure to extract both:

• Default state
• Hover/active/focus states

❌ Mistake 2: Ignoring Opacity

Some colors use opacity. rgba(99, 102, 241, 0.5) is different from a solid light purple. HueStack preserves opacity information.

❌ Mistake 3: Not Checking Usage Rights

Extracting colors for inspiration is fine, but:

• Don't copy exact color schemes for competing products
• Respect brand identity guidelines
• Use extracted colors as inspiration, not direct copies

Tools Comparison

Real-World Example

Let's extract colors from a popular website like Stripe.com:

1. Open HueStack and navigate to stripe.com

2. Extract page colors - You'll find:

   • Primary: #635BFF (Stripe Purple)
   • Accent: #00D4FF (Stripe Blue)
   • Success: #00A86B
   • Background: #0A2540 (Dark navy)

3. Generate Tailwind palettes for each

4. Check contrast - Ensure text on #635BFF meets WCAG standards

5. Export to your project

Result: A complete, accessible color system inspired by Stripe.

Conclusion

Extracting colors from websites is a valuable skill for any designer or developer. While browser DevTools work for quick one-off extractions, dedicated tools like HueStack save hours of manual work with:

• Automated palette generation
• Bulk color extraction
• Tailwind CSS export
• Accessibility checking

Try it yourself: Visit HueStack.dev and extract colors from your favorite websites. With 100 free actions per month, you can analyze dozens of sites without any cost.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to extract colors, check out these related guides:

• Generate Tailwind CSS Palettes from Any Color
• WCAG Contrast Checker: Ensure Accessible Colors
• Extract Colors from Images for Brand Palettes

Questions? Drop a comment below or reach out on Twitter/X.

Last updated: January 27, 2025