#00CC88Split ComplementaryH 160°
Retro Lime
Base color plus two colors adjacent to its complement. Pick a base color and a harmony to see which hues pair together.
Base color
Harmony
See shades7 shades for each of the 3 huesDrag the ring to change hueClick a swatch to copy
Shades
Each split complementary hue from dark to light. Click any to copy.
BaseH 160°
Color 2H 310°
Color 3H 10°
How it works
An interactive wheel for seeing how hues relate. Click any point to read its hex and pull up the harmonies around it.
Reading the wheel
Angle is hue, distance from the centre is saturation. Two colors close together in angle share a family; colors across from each other contrast most strongly. Everything color theory calls a 'scheme' is a shape drawn on this wheel.
The wheel does not show lightness. That is why two colors can look correct on the wheel and still fail as a text pairing: they differ in hue but not in luminance.
Frequently asked
3 questions people ask about the color wheel.
1What is the difference between the RGB and RYB color wheels?
RYB is the traditional artists' wheel, where red, yellow, and blue are primary and mixing is subtractive like paint. RGB is the additive wheel screens use, where red, green, and blue are primary. This tool uses the RGB wheel because it matches what a browser actually renders.
2Where are complementary colors on the wheel?
Directly opposite, 180 degrees apart. Red sits opposite cyan, green opposite magenta, blue opposite yellow.
3Why do colors in the centre look washed out?
Distance from the centre is saturation. At the centre saturation is zero, which is grey regardless of hue.