Shade Generator
Generate progressively darker shades of any color.
About the Shade Generator
Generate progressively darker shades of any color. Every value is computed locally with vanilla JavaScript — there is no server round-trip, no sign-up and no limit on how many times you use it.
How to use
Enter a color
Type a HEX value or use the picker.
Generate shades
Darker variations are created automatically.
Compare the row
See how the color steps toward black.
Copy a shade
Click any swatch to copy its HEX value.
Benefits
Build depth
Get darker variants for shadows, borders and hover states.
Stay on-hue
Shades keep the original hue so they always match.
Instant set
A full range appears from a single input.
Features & supported formats
Features
- Multiple darker steps
- Hue-preserving output
- Click-to-copy swatches
- Live base preview
- HEX values for each step
Supported formats
Accuracy & limitations
Shades come from lowering lightness while hue and saturation stay put, which keeps the family intact but leaves less room to work with the darker your starting color already is.
- Shades are produced by reducing lightness while holding hue and saturation, so every step stays in the same color family.
- The steps are evenly spaced numerically, not perceptually — the darkest few can feel closer together than the numbers suggest.
- Very dark or very desaturated inputs have little room to move and will produce a compressed set.
- None of the generated shades is checked for contrast. Verify any step you intend to use for text.
Frequently asked questions
What is a shade?
A shade is a color mixed toward black — it has lower lightness but the same hue as the original.
When should I use shades?
Shades work well for shadows, pressed button states, borders and dark-mode surfaces.
Do shades keep the same hue?
Yes. Only lightness is reduced, so every shade still reads as the same color family.
How many shades are generated?
The tool produces a stepped set that moves evenly toward black.
Can I use shades with tints?
Absolutely — combine shades and tints to build a complete light-to-dark scale.
Further reading
Color Harmony
The classic harmony schemes as hue arithmetic, what each one feels like in a real interface, and how to keep a palette from falling apart.
Front-endColor in CSS
Every way CSS lets you write a color, when custom properties beat hard-coded values, and what the newer color functions change.