Which palette formats are supported?

Four: `.gpl` (GIMP), `.aco` (Photoshop), `.ase` (Adobe Swatch Exchange), and `.act` (Adobe Color Table). All four both import and export, so any pair converts in either direction. `.sketchpalette`, macOS `.clr`, and Procreate's `.swatches` are not supported.

How does extraction work, and how many colors?

16 colors, by median-cut quantization: every color in the image goes into one box, the box is split at the median along whichever channel spans widest, repeatedly, until there are 16 boxes, and each box contributes its mean as a representative color. Transparent pixels are skipped, so a transparent background will not become "black". For more colors, take Image > Mode > Indexed Color, which goes up to 256.

Is it free? Will my swatches be lost?

Free, no sign-up, no usage limit. Swatches live in your own browser's local storage and are still there next time — but clearing browser data clears them too, so export anything important as a `.gpl` and keep it.

Palettes · pull colors from an image, convert between four formats

Extract 16 colors, convert .gpl/.aco/.ase/.act. Local processing, nothing uploaded.

Use it online now

Pull the palette out of a picture, or move a palette between formats — both live in the swatches panel.

Open Window > Swatches. The eyedropper button on the panel pulls a palette out of the current image, taking 16 colors into your swatches via median-cut quantization (the color space is split repeatedly along whichever channel spans widest, and each box contributes its mean). Transparent pixels are skipped, so an image on a transparent background will not hand you "black" as a dominant color. The other half is format conversion: import reads `.gpl`, `.aco`, `.ase`, and `.act`, and export writes the same four — which means a Photoshop `.aco` becomes a GIMP `.gpl`, an Adobe `.ase` becomes an `.act`, and back again, so switching tools does not mean re-picking every color by hand. Swatches live in your browser and are still there next time you open the tab. In use: click sets the foreground color, Alt-click sets the background, and right-clicking a color you added removes it. One thing to be clear about: there is no color-scheme generator here — no complementary, triadic, or monochromatic set derived from one color. The color panel gives you RGB, HSB, CMYK, Lab, grayscale, and web readouts, but it will not pick a scheme for you. It all runs in your own browser; neither images nor palette files are uploaded.

Key features

Pull 16 colors from an image

Median-cut quantization, transparent pixels skipped, straight into your swatches.

Four formats, any direction

.gpl, .aco, .ase and .act all import and export — switching tools costs nothing.

Swatches stay local

Kept in your browser and still there next time. No account needed.

Runs locally

Neither images nor palette files are uploaded. Close the tab and nothing is left.

How to use

1
Open the swatches panel

Window > Swatches.
2
Extract or import

The eyedropper pulls 16 colors from the image; the upload button reads .gpl/.aco/.ase/.act.
3
Use the colors

Click for foreground, Alt-click for background, right-click to remove one you added.
4
Export the format you need

Four buttons on the panel write .gpl, .ase, .aco, and .act.

FAQ

Which palette formats are supported?: Four: `.gpl` (GIMP), `.aco` (Photoshop), `.ase` (Adobe Swatch Exchange), and `.act` (Adobe Color Table). All four both import and export, so any pair converts in either direction. `.sketchpalette`, macOS `.clr`, and Procreate's `.swatches` are not supported.
How does extraction work, and how many colors?: 16 colors, by median-cut quantization: every color in the image goes into one box, the box is split at the median along whichever channel spans widest, repeatedly, until there are 16 boxes, and each box contributes its mean as a representative color. Transparent pixels are skipped, so a transparent background will not become "black". For more colors, take Image > Mode > Indexed Color, which goes up to 256.
Is there a color-scheme generator?: No. Complementary, triadic, and monochromatic sets derived from a single color are not offered here. The color panel gives you RGB, HSB, CMYK, Lab, grayscale, and web readouts, but it will not pick a scheme for you. For that you want a dedicated color-scheme tool.
Is it free? Will my swatches be lost?: Free, no sign-up, no usage limit. Swatches live in your own browser's local storage and are still there next time — but clearing browser data clears them too, so export anything important as a `.gpl` and keep it.

Try Palettes · pull colors from an image, convert between four formats now

Runs fully in your browser · no install · no signup · images never uploaded

Use it online now