Understanding Web Color Spaces: HEX, RGB, and HSL Explained

Dive into modern web color models, accessibility contrast compliance (WCAG), and how to translate between hexadecimal, RGB, and HSL.

The Three Pillars of Web Color

Designing digital user interfaces requires a clear grasp of color representations used in CSS and design systems.

1. Hexadecimal (HEX)

HEX code (e.g., #0066CC) uses a 6-digit base-16 number representing red, green, and blue intensity values from 00 to FF. It is compact and universal in web style sheets.

2. Red, Green, Blue (RGB)

RGB specifies color channels directly as integers from 0 to 255 (e.g., rgb(0, 102, 204)). Adding an alpha channel creates RGBA for opacity control.

3. Hue, Saturation, Lightness (HSL)

HSL aligns closely with human perception. Hue is a 360-degree color wheel angle, Saturation is color intensity percentage, and Lightness reflects brightness level.

Converting Color Codes Effortlessly

Use our HEX to RGB Converter and test accessibility color compliance with our Color Contrast Checker.

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