Color Temperature Converter
Convert a color temperature in Kelvin (e.g. 2700K candlelight, 6500K daylight) into its approximate RGB color, hex code and CSS values using the Tanner Helland algorithm.
Input
Common presets: 1900K candlelight, 2700K incandescent, 3000K warm white, 5500K daylight, 6500K D65/overcast sky, 10000K clear blue sky. Valid range: 1000K-40000K.
Output
| Format | Value |
|---|---|
| No data yet | |
Guides
Color temperature describes the color of light emitted by an idealized "black body" radiator as it's heated to a given temperature, measured in Kelvin (K). Lower values (1000K-3000K) look warm and reddish-orange, like candlelight or an incandescent bulb. Higher values (6500K and up) look cool and blue-white, like an overcast sky or shade on a clear day. This tool converts a Kelvin value into an approximate RGB color, hex code, and CSS color functions so you can preview and use it directly.
Why color temperature matters
Photography and video. Setting the correct white balance on a camera means telling it the color temperature of the light source, so neutral subjects render as neutral instead of orange or blue. Cinematographers also deliberately mix temperatures for mood — warm practicals against cool ambient light, for example.
Lighting design and LED shopping. LED bulbs and fixtures are labeled with a Kelvin rating — "warm white" (2700K-3000K), "neutral white" (4000K), or "daylight" (5000K-6500K). Knowing what a rating actually looks like as a color helps you pick fixtures that match, or intentionally contrast.
Screen and monitor calibration. Displays are typically calibrated to a white point, most commonly D65 (~6504K), which represents average noon daylight and is the standard for sRGB and most web content. Print and prepress workflows sometimes target D50 (~5003K) instead.
How to use it
- Enter or slide to a Kelvin value between 1000 and 40000.
- The tool immediately computes the matching color and shows it as Hex, RGB, and HSL, along with a ready-to-use CSS
rgb()string. - Use the presets in the help text as reference points — 1900K candlelight, 2700K incandescent, 3000K warm white, 5500K daylight, 6500K D65/overcast, 10000K clear blue sky — to jump to common values quickly.
FAQ
What algorithm does this use? The Tanner Helland algorithm, a widely used approximation that fits piecewise logarithmic and power functions to CIE color-matching data across the 1000K-40000K range. It's not a colorimetrically exact conversion, but it's visually accurate and fast, which is why it's the standard approach used across photography and lighting tools on the web.
Why doesn't my result look exactly like a real light source? Real light sources have spectral power distributions that a single RGB triplet can't fully capture, and consumer displays vary in how they render color. Treat the output as a close practical approximation, not a scientific measurement.
What's the difference between D50 and D65? Both are CIE standard illuminants used as reference white points. D50 (~5003K) approximates horizon daylight and is common in print/prepress. D65 (~6504K) approximates average noon daylight and is the standard white point for sRGB displays and most web and digital content.
Can I go outside 1000K-40000K? No — the underlying approximation is only fitted and validated within that range, so input is clamped to it.
Privacy
All calculations run entirely in your browser. No Kelvin values or results are sent to a server or stored anywhere.