Colour Temperature (Kelvin) to RGB Converter
Convert a light colour temperature in Kelvin into an approximate hex and RGB value, useful for lighting references, photography and digital painting light studies.
Choose a Temperature
Result
How to Use This Tool
Drag the slider or type a Kelvin value directly, or click one of the common lighting presets. The tool converts that colour temperature into an approximate hex and RGB value using a widely used colour temperature approximation formula, and shows a live swatch of the result.
What Colour Temperature Means
Colour temperature, measured in Kelvin (K), describes the colour of light a source gives off. Lower values (around 1500-3000K) look warm, orange and candle-like, while higher values (above 6500K) look cooler and bluer, similar to overcast daylight or a clear blue sky. This is the same scale used on camera white balance settings and many studio lighting products.
Example
A typical warm incandescent bulb sits around 2700K and converts to a warm amber-orange colour, while a bright overcast sky sits around 7000K and converts to a cool, slightly blue-white. Try both presets to compare.
Why This Is Useful for Artists
Understanding colour temperature helps when painting believable lighting, choosing reference photos with consistent lighting, or matching digital colour grading to a particular time of day or light source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this tool do?
It converts a light colour temperature, given in Kelvin, into an approximate hex and RGB colour value you can use in digital art or design software.
What is colour temperature?
It is a way of describing the colour of a light source, from warm orange tones at low Kelvin values to cool blue tones at high Kelvin values.
Is this an exact scientific conversion?
It uses a well-known approximation formula that is widely used in photography and lighting software. It is a close visual approximation rather than a laboratory-grade colorimetric measurement.
What Kelvin value is daylight?
Direct daylight is commonly approximated around 5500-6500K, though it varies with time of day, season and weather.
Why does candlelight look orange?
Candlelight sits at a low colour temperature, around 1900K, which corresponds to warm orange tones in this conversion.
Can I use this for camera white balance?
It uses the same Kelvin scale as camera white balance settings, so it can help you visualise what a given white balance value will look like, though your camera and monitor may render it slightly differently.
What is the highest and lowest value I can try?
The slider covers 1000K to 15000K, and you can type in values up to 40000K directly for extreme references.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, this tool is completely free to use with no sign-up required.
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