How to List the Dominant Colors in an Image
By Tools Star Hub Editorial Team · Published
The page reduces the image, groups similar pixels, and lists 3 to 10 colors with each color’s share of the sampled pixels.
Use it when you want a starting palette from a photo. The share is not a print measurement, and a rare color can disappear because the image is reduced first.
How to read dominant colors
- Choose a JPG, PNG, or WebP. GIF and HEIC do not open. A file over 25 MB, or a side over 8192 pixels, is refused.
- Choose how many colors to list. The range is 3 to 10.
- Analyze and copy HEX or RGB. Each swatch is a color from the grouped pixels.
- Read the share as sampled pixels. The share is the portion of sampled pixels in that group, not a laboratory measurement of the original file.
- Expect the image to be reduced first. The photo is reduced to a 96-pixel edge before pixels are grouped. Nearly transparent pixels are skipped. A small accent color can be missed.
Example
A blue sky
Most sampled pixels fall into blue groups. The listed share is that portion of the sampled pixels.
Things to watch
An approximation
The listed colors are averages of those groups. This is not a mathematically exact palette. To pick one opaque color by hand, use the Color Picker. To turn a hex value you already have into RGB, use Hex to RGB.
FAQ
- Why can a color in the photo be missing?
- The image is reduced to a 96-pixel edge, and nearly transparent pixels are skipped. A rare color may never form its own group.
- What does the percentage mean?
- It is the share of sampled pixels in that group, after the image is reduced.
- How many colors can I ask for?
- From 3 to 10.
- Which files open?
- JPG, PNG, and WebP, up to 25 MB, with no side over 8192 pixels. GIF and HEIC do not open.
To list a starting palette from a photo, use the Image Color Analyzer. The JPG, PNG, or WebP is sampled in this tab. The photo is not sent to Tools Star Hub.