HSL to RGB Explained: How Colour Values Convert
HSL and RGB describe the same colours in different ways. This guide explains the conversion and how to pick colours in either system.
What is the HSL to RGB Converter?
HSL describes colour by hue around a colour wheel, saturation from grey to vivid, and lightness from black to white, which many people find easier to reason about than raw red, green and blue channels. This tool converts an HSL colour to its RGB channels and the matching hex code. Hue wraps around at 360 degrees, and saturation and lightness must stay between 0 and 100. The conversion is exact for the usual colour model, though screens may still render the same values slightly differently.
How to use it
- Enter the hue from 0 to 360.
- Enter saturation and lightness from 0 to 100.
- Press the button to see the RGB values and hex code.
Worked example
Hue 0, saturation 100 and lightness 50 converts to red 255, green 0, blue 0, which is hex #FF0000.
What RGB is pure red in HSL?
Pure red is hue 0, saturation 100 and lightness 50, which converts to RGB 255, 0, 0.
Frequently asked questions
What does hue 0 mean?
Hue 0 sits at red on the colour wheel. Values run around the wheel, with 120 at green, 240 at blue, and 360 wrapping back to red.
What happens at lightness 0 or 100?
Lightness 0 is always black and 100 is always white, whatever the hue and saturation are.