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Color Temperature Explorer

Explore warm, cool and neutral color relationships.

Cooler ← → warmer

CoolNeutralWarm

Warm set

Cool set

Neutral set

About the Color Temperature Explorer

See where a color sits on the warm–cool spectrum, compare warmer and cooler versions of it and explore warm, cool and neutral sets for balancing a design.

How to use it

  1. Pick a color.
  2. See its classification: warm, cool or neutral.
  3. Use the warmer/cooler strip to shift its temperature.
  4. Copy colors from the warm, cool and neutral sets.

Examples

  • Warm up a cold gray for a cozier interface.
  • Pair a warm accent with cool neutrals.

Frequently asked questions

How is temperature classified?
By hue: reds, oranges and yellows are warm; greens through blues and violets are cool; low-saturation colors are neutral. Borders such as yellow-green and purple are context dependent.
How are warmer/cooler versions made?
The hue is rotated toward orange (about 30°) or toward blue (about 220°) in small steps while keeping saturation and lightness.
Is this related to light temperature in Kelvin?
Only loosely. Designers' warm/cool is about hue perception, while Kelvin describes the color of light sources.

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