HSL to RGB Converter
Free, accurate, and instant conversion. Preview your color in real-time on digital and print mockups.
Source Input HSL
/* CSS Variable */ --color-primary: #000000; /* Standard */ color: #000000; background-color: #000000;
From Design Theory to Screen Reality
You have perfected your color palette using HSL sliders—finding that perfect harmony by rotating the hue by 30° or dropping the saturation by 10%. Now comes the hard part: giving that color to software that only speaks RGB.
This HSL to RGB converter instantly translates your human-friendly design values (Hue degrees, Saturation %, Lightness %) back into the machine-readable Red, Green, and Blue channels (0-255).
Input: HSL
The intuitive choice. Define color by family (Hue), richness (Saturation), and brightness (Lightness).
Process: Chroma
Our engine calculates the Chroma (color intensity) and intermediate values to map the specific hue angle.
Output: RGB
The technical standard. Three 8-bit integers (0-255) ready for monitor display or legacy codebases.
Why HSL → RGB is Tricky Math
Converting RGB to HSL is straightforward geometry. Going back is harder. The formula changes depending on which 60° sector of the color wheel the Hue falls into (e.g., Red-Yellow sector vs Yellow-Green sector).
The "Sector" Logic
If Hue is between 0°-60° (Red → Yellow):
Red is Max, Green is Rising, Blue is Min.
If Hue is between 120°-180° (Green → Cyan):
Red is Min, Green is Max, Blue is Rising.
Our tool handles all 6 sectors automatically to give you the perfect integer mix.
Pro Tips for Device Output
- • LED strips: Most controllers expect RGB integers—convert before sending to hardware.
- • Game engines: Unity and Unreal use 0-1 floats, so divide each RGB by 255.
- • Batch processing: When automating, cache your conversions to avoid repeated calculations.
- • Precision matters: For animation interpolation, keep HSL and convert only at the final output stage.
When to use RGB Output?
| Scenario | Why RGB is required |
|---|---|
| Email Newsletters | Many email clients (Outlook) do not support modern CSS like `hsl()`. Hex or RGB is safer. |
| Hardware / IoT | Arduino/Raspberry Pi LED strips expect integer RGB values (0-255). |
| Legacy Browsers | If supporting very old browsers (IE8), HSL is not supported. |
| Video Processing | Tools like FFmpeg or OpenCV primarily operate in RGB or YUV space. |
Who Needs RGB Output?
IoT Engineers
Send precise color values to LED strips, smart bulbs, and microcontrollers.
Game Developers
Feed RGB values to shaders, particle systems, and lighting engines.
Video Editors
Color grade footage using RGB values for OpenCV, FFmpeg, or DaVinci Resolve.
Legacy System Maintainers
Support older browsers, email clients, and frameworks that require RGB.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I convert HSL to RGB?
While HSL is great for designing, many older systems, image processing libraries (like OpenCV), or hardware LED controllers only understand RGB. This tool bridges that compatibility gap.
Is HSL to RGB conversion exact?
Mathematically, yes. However, RGB channels are integers (0-255). Calculating HSL often results in decimals, so rounding is required. This means converting HSL -> RGB -> HSL might result in a slightly different number (e.g., Hue 200.5° becoming 200°).
What happens if Hue is greater than 360?
Hue is a circle. 370° is exactly the same as 10°. Our tool handles this 'wrapping' automatically, simpler to how clocks work.
Can monitors display all HSL colors?
Mostly yes, because HSL is just a mathematical rearrangement of the sRGB color space. It doesn't typically create 'out of gamut' colors unless you are working in a wider color profile (like Display P3).
How is 50% Lightness calculated in RGB?
It depends on the Saturation. If Saturation is 0%, 50% Lightness is RGB(128, 128, 128). If Saturation is 100%, it could be RGB(255, 0, 0) or another pure pigment.
Why is my converted RGB color slightly different from Photoshop?
Photoshop sometimes uses HSB (Hue, Saturation, Brightness), which is different from HSL (Lightness). HSB is also known as HSV. Make sure you are using the correct model.
Does this tool work for HSLA (Alpha)?
Yes, if you input transparency, we will output an RGBA value (e.g., rgba(100, 50, 20, 0.5)).
What is the formula for HSL to RGB?
It involves calculating 'chroma' (C) based on lightness and saturation, then finding an intermediate value (X), and finally adding a lightness match (m) to each channel. It is complex to do manually!
Is pure white always 255, 255, 255?
Yes. In HSL, any color with 100% Lightness becomes pure White (255, 255, 255), regardless of the Hue or Saturation.
Is pure black always 0, 0, 0?
Yes. In HSL, any color with 0% Lightness becomes pure Black (0, 0, 0).
How do I send HSL colors to an Arduino LED strip?
Arduino NeoPixel and similar libraries expect RGB integers. Convert your HSL design values to RGB(r, g, b), then pass those three 0-255 values to your strip.setPixelColor() function.
Why do some sectors produce brighter RGB values than others?
Human perception isn't uniform. Yellow (60°) appears brighter than blue (240°) at the same Lightness because our eyes have more green-sensitive cones. This is a limitation of HSL not accounting for perceptual luminance.