Tools / Color Converter / HEX → HSV

HEX to HSV Converter.

HEX to HSV (also called HSB, for hue-saturation-brightness) is the model behind most color pickers: the square selects saturation and value, the slider picks hue. Converting from hex lets you drop any brand color straight onto that picker's coordinates.

Enter a HEX color

HSV —

All formats

The HEX → HSV formula

Hex → RGB → normalize. V = max. S = 0 if V==0 else (max−min)/max. Hue is the same 0-360° angle as in HSL.

Worked example

Convert #9A2A2A:

Hex → rgb(154, 42, 42)
Normalize → max = 0.604 (red), min = 0.165
Value = 60%, Saturation = (0.604−0.165)/0.604 = 73%
Red is max → Hue ≈ 0°
Result: hsv(0, 73%, 60%)

Python

import colorsys
r,g,b = (0x9A/255, 0x2A/255, 0x2A/255)
h,s,v = colorsys.rgb_to_hsv(r,g,b)
print(round(h*360), round(s*100), round(v*100)) # 0 73 60

FAQ

HSV vs HSL — what's the difference?

HSV's 'value' is the max channel (full value = pure or pure+white mix), while HSL's 'lightness' centers on grey. HSV matches how a color-picker square feels; HSL matches how 'tint vs shade' reads in CSS.

Is HSB the same as HSV?

Yes — HSB (brightness) and HSV (value) are two names for the identical model. Photoshop says HSB; most code libraries say HSV.

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Library

Colour references for your next project

Compare the original references behind this archive. Check the contents, edition and format before choosing a book.

Book links are Amazon Associates affiliate links. Your price is unchanged; a small commission supports the archive. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Sanzo Wada

A Dictionary of Color Combinations

The 2010 Seigensha republication of the 1933 original. Japanese import.

Every combination in it is already browsable free here, hex values and all. Buy this one for the object rather than the data — Seigensha's matte plates and Japanese binding, or a citable copy of the 1933 original. If you want plates this archive doesn't have, Vol. 2 is the one.

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Sanzo Wada

A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol. 2

Seigensha, 2020. Japanese import.

Wada's 1935–1938 follow-ups: 72 plates on the Japanese seasons and 165 drawn from early-century fashion, interior, and graphic design. Not in Vol. 1. Not in this archive. The book itself is a design object — Japanese binding, matte pages, zero captions.

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Torn between the two Wada dictionaries? Vol 1 vs Vol 2, compared plate by plate →