Image Color Extractor

Extract dominant colors from images using various algorithms including k-means clustering and histogram analysis

Click to upload file or drag and drop file here

Maximum file size: 20MB Supported formats: image/jpeg, image/png, image/webp, image/gif, image/bmp, image/tiff

Exclude near-white colors from extraction

Exclude near-black colors from extraction

Key Facts

Category
Design & Color
Input Types
file, number, select, checkbox
Output Type
json
Sample Coverage
4
API Ready
Yes

Overview

The Image Color Extractor allows you to precisely identify and pull dominant color palettes from any image using advanced algorithms like K-Means clustering, histogram analysis, and median cut.

When to Use

  • •Creating a cohesive color scheme for a new web design project based on a reference image.
  • •Extracting brand-consistent colors from a logo or marketing asset for use in design software.
  • •Analyzing the color distribution of photography to ensure visual balance in digital compositions.

How It Works

  • •Upload your image file (JPEG, PNG, WebP, etc.) to the tool.
  • •Select your preferred extraction algorithm and specify the number of colors you wish to retrieve.
  • •Adjust optional settings like ignoring black or white tones to refine your palette.
  • •Generate the results in your desired format, such as HEX, RGB, or HSL.

Use Cases

Web designers building style guides from mood boards.
Graphic artists matching color themes for social media assets.
Developers generating dynamic UI themes based on user-uploaded profile pictures.

Examples

1. Brand Palette Creation

Graphic Designer
Background
A designer needs to extract a professional color palette from a client's high-resolution logo to use in a brand identity kit.
Problem
Manually picking colors from a logo is imprecise and inconsistent.
How to Use
Upload the logo, select 'Median Cut' for high quality, and set the color count to 5.
Example Config
algorithm: median-cut, colorCount: 5, colorFormat: hex
Outcome
A precise 5-color HEX palette that perfectly matches the brand's visual identity.

2. UI Theme Generation

Frontend Developer
Background
A developer is building a feature where the application interface adapts its accent colors based on the user's uploaded avatar.
Problem
Need to extract dominant colors while avoiding neutral backgrounds like white or black.
How to Use
Upload the avatar, enable 'Ignore White' and 'Ignore Black', and use the K-Means algorithm for fast processing.
Example Config
algorithm: kmeans, ignoreWhite: true, ignoreBlack: true, colorCount: 3
Outcome
A clean set of 3 vibrant accent colors extracted from the avatar, ready to be applied to CSS variables.

Try with Samples

image, png, jpg
Web Image Processing Python Samples
Web Python image processing examples using PIL/Pillow including reading, saving, resizing, and format conversion
title token image
image
Windows Image Processing C++ Samples
Windows C++ image processing examples including reading/saving images, resizing, and format conversion using Windows Imaging Component (WIC)
title token image
image
Web Image Processing Rust Samples
Web Rust image processing examples including image read/save, scaling, and format conversion
title token image
image
macOS Image Processing Objective-C Samples
macOS Objective-C image processing examples including image reading/saving, image scaling, and format conversion
title token image
image

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FAQ

Which algorithm should I choose?

Use K-Means for speed, Histogram for simple frequency analysis, or Median Cut for high-quality, accurate color representation.

Can I exclude background colors like white or black?

Yes, you can enable the 'Ignore White Colors' or 'Ignore Black Colors' checkboxes to filter out neutral tones from your palette.

What image formats are supported?

The tool supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, and TIFF formats.

How many colors can I extract at once?

You can extract between 1 and 20 dominant colors per image.

What is the purpose of the Sample Size setting?

It determines how many pixels are analyzed from the image; higher values increase accuracy but may take slightly longer to process.

API Documentation

Request Endpoint

POST /en/api/tools/image-color-extractor

Request Parameters

Parameter Name Type Required Description
imageFile file (Upload required) Yes -
colorCount number Yes -
algorithm select Yes -
colorFormat select Yes -
sampleSize number Yes -
ignoreWhite checkbox No Exclude near-white colors from extraction
ignoreBlack checkbox No Exclude near-black colors from extraction

File type parameters need to be uploaded first via POST /upload/image-color-extractor to get filePath, then pass filePath to the corresponding file field.

Response Format

{
  "key": {...},
  "metadata": {
    "key": "value"
  },
  "error": "Error message (optional)",
  "message": "Notification message (optional)"
}
JSON Data: JSON Data

AI MCP Documentation

Add this tool to your MCP server configuration: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elysiatools-image-color-extractor": {
      "name": "image-color-extractor",
      "description": "Extract dominant colors from images using various algorithms including k-means clustering and histogram analysis",
      "baseUrl": "https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=image-color-extractor",
      "command": "",
      "args": [],
      "env": {},
      "isActive": true,
      "type": "sse"
    }
  }
}

You can chain multiple tools, e.g.: `https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=png-to-webp,jpg-to-webp,gif-to-webp`, max 20 tools.

Supports URL file links or Base64 encoding for file parameters.

If you encounter any issues, please contact us at [email protected]