How to Extract a Website Color Palette for a Redesign Project
Learn how to extract a color palette from any website, remove unwanted shades, check contrast and build a clear before-and-after redesign palette.
24 July 2026
Chrome Extension & Webpage Color Picking
Quick Answer
- Open the website you want to audit.
- Use the AutoColorPicker website color extractor to generate the page’s HEX and RGB colors.
- Use the Chrome extension to verify individual buttons, backgrounds, text, borders and hover states.
- Label colors by purpose instead of saving an unorganized list of swatches.
- Separate brand colors from image colors, shadows, gradients and temporary campaign elements.
- Check text and button contrast before using the extracted palette in the redesign.
- Record the old and proposed colors in a before/after palette worksheet.
Current Color-Workflow Data
700K
Chrome users
Current users shown on the official Chrome Web Store listing.
4.0
Store rating
Based on more than 260 current Chrome Web Store ratings.
83.9%
Low-contrast pages
Top homepages with detectable low-contrast text in WebAIM’s 2026 study.
34
Contrast issues
Average low-contrast text instances found on each affected homepage.
When Should You Extract a Website Color Palette?
| Redesign task | Colors to collect | What to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Audit your current website | Brand, background, text, CTA and state colors | Keep, remove or consolidate |
| Study competitor pages | Dominant colors and visual hierarchy | Differentiate without copying |
| Rebuild a lost brand system | Logo, links, buttons and interface colors | Create reusable design tokens |
| Prepare a client proposal | Current and proposed palettes | Explain the redesign visually |
How to Extract a Color Palette From a Website
1. Choose the exact page to audit
- Start with the homepage, pricing page or primary landing page.
- Audit desktop and mobile layouts separately.
- Do not assume every page uses the same palette correctly.
Screenshot 1 to insert
Full website page before extraction, showing the header, hero, CTA and first content section.
2. Generate the full website palette
- Open AutoColorPicker and enter the complete webpage URL.
- Run the color extractor to collect the page’s detected HEX and RGB values.
- Save the initial results as your raw palette—not the final redesign palette.
Review the site’s four-step color-picking instructions before starting your audit.
Screenshot 2 to insert
AutoColorPicker website extractor displaying the generated swatches with their HEX and RGB values.
3. Verify important colors manually
- Install and pin the Chrome extension.
- Activate the eyedropper on the target page.
- Sample the centre of flat color areas—not shadows or antialiased edges.
- Copy the HEX, RGB or HSL value needed by your design workflow.
The extension includes precise selection, real-time previews, recent-color history and one-click copying. See the complete AutoColorPicker feature overview.
Screenshot 3 to insert
Eyedropper selecting the centre of the primary CTA button with its exact color code visible.
4. Sort colors by their website role
| Role | Examples |
|---|---|
| Primary | Main brand color and primary CTA |
| Secondary | Supporting buttons, cards and illustrations |
| Neutral | Backgrounds, borders and muted surfaces |
| Text | Headings, body text and muted labels |
| State | Success, warning, error, hover and focus colors |
5. Remove noise from the extracted palette
- Exclude colors appearing only inside photographs or videos.
- Group nearly identical gray, white and brand shades.
- Keep gradient endpoints instead of every blended pixel.
- Separate default, hover, active and disabled states.
- Mark campaign-specific colors that should not enter the permanent design system.
6. Check contrast before redesigning
- Test body text against its background.
- Test button labels in default and hover states.
- Aim for at least 4.5:1 contrast for normal text.
- Aim for at least 3:1 for large text and meaningful interface graphics.
- Do not use color alone to communicate errors, success or selected states.
7. Build the proposed redesign palette
- Keep recognizable brand colors that still work.
- Replace redundant shades with a smaller, consistent scale.
- Improve weak text and CTA contrast.
- Assign each final color a semantic name.
- Test the palette on one real page before applying it sitewide.
Before/After Website Palette Worksheet
| Website role | Current HEX | Current issue | Proposed HEX | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary CTA | #________ |
Weak contrast or inconsistent use | #________ |
Improve visibility |
| Page background | #________ |
Too harsh or visually flat | #________ |
Improve hierarchy |
| Body text | #________ |
Low contrast | #________ |
Improve readability |
| Borders and surfaces | #________ |
Too many similar grays | #________ |
Simplify the system |
For precise manual sampling, follow AutoColorPicker’s guide to picking website colors in Chrome without DevTools.
Common Website Palette Extraction Mistakes
Copying image colors
Photographs can produce dozens of colors that are not part of the interface system.
Sampling an edge
Shadows, transparency and antialiasing can return a blended value.
Ignoring state colors
Buttons, links and fields may change on hover, focus, selection or error.
Copying a competitor
Use competitor palettes to study patterns—not to reproduce their brand identity.
Browse more practical color-picking advice in the AutoColorPicker design guides.
Free Redesign Workflow
Extract the current palette before changing the design.
Use the free before/after website palette worksheet, then verify each important HEX and RGB value with the AutoColorPicker Chrome extension.
Download the Free Palette WorksheetFree Chrome extension · No technical workflow required
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I extract a color palette from a website?
Enter the website URL into a website palette extractor, review the generated colors and use an eyedropper extension to verify the important buttons, backgrounds, text and interface states.
Can I get website colors without using DevTools?
Yes. AutoColorPicker can extract colors from a URL and pick individual pixels directly from a live webpage without requiring CSS inspection.
Why does a website palette extractor show so many colors?
The page may contain photographs, shadows, transparency, gradients, antialiased text and many similar neutral shades. Sort the results by website role and remove colors that are not part of the interface.
How many colors should a website redesign use?
There is no fixed number. Use the smallest system that supports the brand, neutral surfaces, readable text, calls to action and necessary success, warning and error states.
Can I copy a competitor’s website color palette?
You can study competitor palettes for design research, but your final system should reflect your own brand identity, audience, accessibility requirements and product positioning.