Color Space Converter

Convert colors between HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, LAB, and OKLCH color spaces with visual comparison.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Color Space Converter does and how it behaves

Color Space Converter expresses a single color in seven coordinate systems and places visual swatches beside the numerical results. It covers web-oriented HEX and RGB, hue-based HSL and HSV, print-oriented CMYK, and the perceptual LAB and OKLCH spaces. The important surprise is that conversion does not make these spaces interchangeable: their coordinates describe color differently, and some LAB or OKLCH colors cannot be reproduced exactly by an RGB display.

How the result is produced

Coordinate translation

The entered value is interpreted in its selected color space, then represented as equivalent HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, LAB, and OKLCH coordinates. HSL and HSV describe hue with different saturation and brightness models, while LAB and OKLCH use perceptual dimensions. Consequently, similarly named components such as lightness and value are not numerically interchangeable.

Visual comparison

The converter accompanies the coordinate sets with rendered color comparisons. These swatches help reveal whether a conversion remains visually close when represented on screen, especially when moving from LAB or OKLCH into RGB-based output. The numbers remain the useful result for copying, while the comparison is a display preview rather than a measurement of a physical sample.

Good uses

Translate a brand color supplied as HEX into RGB, HSL, and OKLCH values for web design tokens.
Estimate CMYK coordinates from an on-screen RGB color before sending the color into a profile-aware print workflow.
Inspect the hue, saturation, lightness, and perceptual chroma of a sampled interface color.

Limits and checks

A CMYK tuple does not predict a press result by itself. Ink set, paper, printing process, and the chosen color profile affect the reproduced color.
LAB and OKLCH can describe colors outside the gamut of an ordinary RGB display. A preview may therefore require clipping or gamut mapping and need not show the requested color exactly.
Hue becomes undefined for neutral colors with zero chroma or saturation. Any displayed hue for black, white, or gray should not be treated as visually meaningful.

Common questions

Are LAB and OKLCH values directly interchangeable?

No. LAB normally means CIELAB coordinates L, a, and b, while OKLCH is a cylindrical representation of OKLab using lightness, chroma, and hue. They have different underlying models and numerical scales. Convert between them as complete color descriptions; do not copy an LAB lightness or chroma-like magnitude directly into OKLCH.

Does a matching swatch guarantee the printed color will match?

No. The swatches compare colors as rendered by the browser and display. They cannot account fully for monitor calibration, display gamut, ink behavior, substrate, or a printer's ICC profile. Use the CMYK result as a coordinate conversion, not as a contract proof. Critical print work still requires a color-managed workflow and an appropriate proof.

References and verification

The behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.