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What color is this? Camera color identifier

Aim the crosshair at a wall, a shirt or a paint chip and the readout names the color it sees in real time. Video frames are analyzed on your device; nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Point your camera at anything

The color under the crosshair is named live. Video stays on your device; nothing is recorded or uploaded.

Tap the picture to move the crosshair. Cameras adjust white balance and exposure on their own, so treat the result as a close match, not a lab measurement.

Saved colors

    How it works

    Press Start camera and your browser asks for permission. Once the video is running, the tool reads a small square of pixels under the crosshair about eight times a second, averages them and shows:

    • a large swatch of the color,
    • its HEX, RGB and HSL values, each with a copy button,
    • the nearest color name from HexaCalc's list of about 4,900 hand-picked names.

    Tap anywhere on the picture to move the crosshair there. The sample area buttons set how many pixels are averaged: Small reads a 3×3 square, Medium 9×9 and Large 21×21 pixels of the camera frame. Larger areas smooth out the grain and texture of fabric, wood or painted plaster. Smaller ones are better for thin stripes or printed dots.

    Freeze pauses the video so you can move the crosshair around a still frame and save several readings without the image wobbling. Switch camera flips between the front and rear cameras on phones.

    If you would rather not use the camera, or the browser blocks it, choose Use a photo instead. On phones this can open the camera app directly, and the photo is analyzed the same way.

    Why the camera reading differs from the paint chip

    A camera does not measure color the way a spectrophotometer does. Several things shift the numbers:

    • White balance. Phones constantly adjust colors so white looks white. Under warm bulbs a white wall reads as cream; under shade it turns slightly blue.
    • Exposure. Point at a dark object and the camera brightens the whole frame. Point at a window and everything darkens.
    • Processing. Phones boost saturation and contrast to make photos look pleasing, not accurate.
    • The light itself. The same shirt really does reflect different light at noon and at sunset.

    So treat the result as a close match. It is good for naming a color, finding something to match it online, or starting a palette. It is not good enough for mixing paint to an exact formula.

    Getting a steadier reading

    1. Use even daylight from a window, without direct sun or colored reflections.
    2. Fill most of the frame with the object, so exposure is set by it rather than by the background.
    3. Hold a sheet of plain white paper next to the object. If the paper reads as clearly tinted rather than neutral gray or white, the light is tinted, and the object reading is tinted the same way.
    4. Use the Large sample area for textured surfaces.
    5. Freeze, then take two or three readings across the object and compare them.

    Saving colors

    Press Save this color to keep a reading. Saved colors appear as cards below the tool with copy and remove buttons, and they stay in your browser's local storage until you remove them, so you can collect colors around the house and copy them later.

    Privacy

    Video frames go from your camera to your own browser and nowhere else. Nothing is recorded, uploaded or kept after you stop the camera. The camera also stops when you switch tabs or apps.

    When the camera will not start

    • Permission denied: allow the camera for this site in your browser's site settings, then reload.
    • No camera found: desktops without a webcam can still use a photo.
    • Blank or black video: another app may be holding the camera. Close video-call apps and try again.

    If you already have the color as a photo, the color picker from image offers a zoom loupe and pixel-exact picking. Paste a HEX into the color name finder to see the closest names from a list of about 32,000. To pull color from something on your screen instead, use the screen color picker.

    FAQ

    Can this tell me the exact paint color of my wall?

    It can get you close, which is often enough to shortlist paint chips. For an exact match, take a chip or a flake of the paint to a store with a color-matching scanner, which measures under controlled light.

    How do I find the hex code of a color?

    It depends on where the color is. For a physical object, use this page: aim the crosshair and the HEX code appears under the swatch, ready to copy. For a photo you already have, the color picker from image reads the exact pixel. For something on your screen, such as a logo in another app, the screen color picker samples it directly. A camera reading is the least exact of the three, because lighting shifts the color before it reaches the sensor.

    Does it work on iPhone and Android?

    Yes, in current Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Samsung Internet. The page must be loaded over HTTPS, which hexacalc.com always is.

    Why does the color keep flickering?

    Camera noise and auto-exposure change the pixels slightly every frame. Use a larger sample area or press Freeze.