HEX to HSL Converter
Transform hex codes into human-readable HSL values
Enter HEX Color
Converted Values
#3B82F6
rgb(59, 130, 246)
hsl(217, 91%, 60%)
Color Format Guide
- HEX: #RRGGBB format used in CSS and design tools
- RGB: Red, Green, Blue values (0-255) for precise color control
- HSL: Hue (0-360°), Saturation (%), Lightness (%) for intuitive adjustments
What is HEX to HSL Conversion?
HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) makes colors intuitive. While hex codes are compact, they hide the relationships between colors. Converting to HSL reveals whether a color is warm or cool, muted or vibrant, light or dark.
Think of HSL as color with meaning: hue is the color itself (0-360° on the color wheel), saturation is intensity (0-100%), and lightness controls brightness (0-100%). This makes creating variations trivially easy.
Why Convert HEX to HSL?
HSL unlocks programmatic color manipulation. Need a hover state? Decrease lightness by 10%. Want a muted version? Drop saturation by 20%. Building a theme? Keep hue constant while varying lightness for shades and tints.
Modern CSS supports hsl() natively, and many developers prefer it for maintainable color systems. Design tokens built on HSL scale more predictably than hex-based alternatives.
How the Conversion Works
The conversion involves several steps:
1. Convert hex to RGB first (#3B82F6 → 59, 130, 246) 2. Normalize RGB to 0-1 range 3. Find min/max values to calculate lightness 4. Derive hue from the dominant channel 5. Calculate saturation from the range
Our tool handles the complex math instantly, outputting clean hsl(217, 91%, 60%) values.
Common Use Cases
- Creating hover and active states
- Building accessible color ramps
- Generating dynamic theme variations
- Understanding color relationships
Pro Tip
Keep hue constant while adjusting lightness from 10% to 90%—you'll get a complete shade scale from one base color.
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