Colormind API

Free AI colour palette API with no key: generate harmonious five-colour palettes, or lock colours and let the model complete the rest. Tested POST example.

No API key requiredCORS enabledFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-20

What is the Colormind API?

Colormind is a free, key-free API that generates harmonious five-colour palettes using a deep learning model, and can complete a palette around colours you lock in place.

Colormind is trained on photographs, films and popular palettes rather than applying colour-wheel rules, which is why its output tends to look designed rather than mechanically derived.

Palette completion is the genuinely useful feature: pass your brand colour with the remaining slots as `"N"` and the model fills the rest around it. That solves the real problem — building a palette that works with a colour you are already committed to.

Quick facts

Base URL: http://colormind.io/api/
Authentication: No API key required.
Rate limit: No published limit; the maintainer asks for reasonable use.
Pricing: Free.
CORS: Enabled — callable directly from browser JavaScript
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the Colormind API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-20, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Generate a colour palette

POST http://colormind.io/api/

curl

curl -X POST 'http://colormind.io/api/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"model":"default"}'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("http://colormind.io/api/", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({"model":"default"}),
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Python (requests)

import requests

headers = {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}

payload = {"model":"default"}

res = requests.post("http://colormind.io/api/", headers=headers, json=payload, timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200

{
  "result": [
    [
      187,
      173,
      81
    ],
    [
      198,
      109,
      65
    ],
    [
      80,
      58,
      32
    ],
    [
      99,
      64,
      33
    ],
    [
      156,
      44,
      16
    ]
  ]
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`model`	string	Required	Which trained model to use, in the POST body. `default`
`input`	array	Optional	Five slots; RGB arrays to lock, or "N" to let the model choose. `[[44,43,44],"N","N","N","N"]`
`(list models)`	path	Optional	POST to /list to see available models. `list`

Response fields

resultarray: Five RGB colour arrays, each [r, g, b] with values 0-255.

What you can build with the Colormind API

Generate a brand palette around an existing colour
Offer palette suggestions in a design tool
Create varied colour schemes for data visualisation
Seed mockups with harmonious colours rather than random ones

Common errors and how to fix them

Returns RGB arrays, not hex

Output is [r,g,b] triples.

Fix: Convert to hex yourself; the API never returns hex strings.

HTTP not HTTPS

The API is served over plain HTTP.

Fix: Call it server-side; browsers block it as mixed content from an HTTPS page.

Input must have exactly five slots

The model expects a five-element array.

Fix: Use "N" as a placeholder for each colour you want generated.

Colormind API — frequently asked questions

Is Colormind free?

Yes, free with no API key. The maintainer asks for reasonable use.

How do I build a palette around my brand colour?

Pass it as an RGB array in the input, with "N" in the remaining slots. The model completes the palette around your fixed colour.

Why is the output RGB rather than hex?

The model works in RGB space and returns [r,g,b] triples. Convert to hex in your own code.

Can I call it from the browser?

Not directly on an HTTPS page — it is served over plain HTTP, which browsers block as mixed content. Proxy it through your server.

Tools that pair with this API

Color Picker

Pick any color and get its HEX, RGB and HSL values instantly. Free online color picker with shades, tints and one-click copy for designers and developers.

RGB to HEX Converter

Convert RGB or RGBA values to HEX color codes instantly. Enter channels manually or paste an rgb() string, preview the swatch and copy the HEX result.

Color Palette Generator

Generate complementary, analogous, triadic, tetradic and monochromatic color palettes from any base color. Click any swatch to copy its HEX code fast.

Colormind is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-20; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.