Color Temperature Converter
Convert Kelvin color temperature to sRGB Hex and RGB values with a live swatch preview.
Color temperature
sRGB result
Hex: #ffbb6c
RGB: rgb(255, 187, 108)
White balance guide
The kelvin-to-RGB curve is the widely used Tanner Helland approximation, good for estimates and mood checks, not a spectroradiometer measurement. Camera white balance runs the other way: raise the kelvin setting to cancel a warm scene and cool a file shot under tungsten.
How to use it
- Type a Kelvin value from 1000 to 12000, or drag the slider below the number field.
- The tool converts it to an approximate sRGB color and shows the Hex and RGB strings plus a large preview swatch.
- Read the white balance guide line to see which lighting mood the value describes, from candlelight to open shade.
- Press Convert, then copy the report with Hex, RGB and the guide line.
Common use cases
- Photo editing - pick a white balance value to cool down a tungsten-lit shot.
- Lighting specs - translate a Kelvin number on a bulb box into an RGB value for a render.
- Mood boards - build warm-to-cool color scales for a scene or time of day.
- Teaching color - show why the same white shirt looks orange under a bulb and blue in the shade.
Why it stays private
The converter is plain client-side JavaScript running a fixed approximation curve on your inputs. No color values are sent anywhere, and the tool works offline.
FAQ
Q: Which algorithm converts Kelvin to RGB? A: The widely used Tanner Helland approximation, a piecewise curve fitted to measured black-body colors. It estimates the color of an ideal radiator, not a specific bulb or screen.
Q: Why does camera white balance feel inverted? A: The conversion answers what light color a Kelvin value looks like. Camera white balance runs the other way: to cancel a warm scene you raise the Kelvin setting so the camera cools the file down.
Q: Can I convert from Hex back to Kelvin? A: No. Many Kelvin values map to similar grays, so an exact reverse lookup does not exist. Use the slider to hunt for the temperature that matches a reference swatch.
Q: Does 6500 K equal pure white? A: Not exactly. 6500 K is close to the D65 daylight standard used by sRGB, but a real scene lit for 6500 K still shows the color of its walls, sky and surfaces.
Your data stays on this device
Color Temperature Converter runs 100% locally. Everything you paste or drop is processed by your own browser and never transmitted. Nothing is stored on our servers — close the tab and it is gone.
Nothing you type is sent to a server, logged, or used for analytics. The page works even with your network disconnected after first load.