oklch-palette

Generate 12-step OKLCH palettes from a seed color. Export CSS variables and a Tailwind preset with accessible scales.

OKLCH is perceptually uniform, so equal steps look even. This package creates predictable scales for light and dark themes and emits CSS vars (and a Tailwind preset) you can drop in.

Install

npm i oklch-palette
# (optional) Tailwind preset: peer dep tailwindcss >= 3.4

Usage (library)

import { makePalette, toCssVars } from "oklch-palette";

const pal = makePalette("#6753ff"); // defaults: steps=12, both themes, srgb
console.log(pal.light.brand[9]); // -> "oklch(54.2% 0.14 274)"
console.log(pal.dark.brand[9]); // -> "oklch(63.0% 0.11 274)"

// CSS string (root + dark)
const css = toCssVars(pal, { prefix: "brand" });
// write to a file or inject

Usage (Tailwind preset)

// tailwind.config.js (or .ts)
import { tailwindPreset } from "oklch-palette/tailwind";
import { makePalette } from "oklch-palette";

const brand = makePalette("#6753ff");

export default {
  presets: [tailwindPreset(brand, { prefix: "brand" })],
};

Now you can use utilities like:

<button class="bg-brand-9 hover:bg-brand-10 text-brand-1">Buy</button>

API

type Mode = "light" | "dark" | "both";
type Gamut = "srgb" | "p3";

interface Options {
  steps?: number; // default 12
  mode?: Mode; // default 'both'
  gamut?: Gamut; // default 'srgb' (outputs oklch() always; P3 only affects fallback strategy)
  boostLowChroma?: boolean; // default true, slightly increase C for grayish seeds
}

export function makePalette(
  seed: string,
  opts?: Options
): {
  light?: { brand: string[] }; // index 0..11
  dark?: { brand: string[] };
  meta: { hue: number };
};

export function toCssVars(
  pal: ReturnType<typeof makePalette>,
  opts?: {
    prefix?: string; // default 'brand'
    selector?: string; // default ':root'
    darkSelector?: string; // default '.dark'
  }
): string;

export function tailwindPreset(
  pal: ReturnType<typeof makePalette>,
  opts?: {
    prefix?: string; // default 'brand'
  }
): any;

How it works (short)

• Converts the seed color to OKLCH(L, C, H).
• Keeps H almost fixed.
• Creates 12 steps by mapping L along a smooth curve:
  • light: ~99 → ~25
  • dark: ~14 → ~93
• Adapts C (chroma) to avoid neon in highlights and dull midtones:
  • boosts very low-chroma seeds slightly
  • trims C near the extremes
• Clamps into sRGB range for safety (still emits oklch() strings).

Example app

npm run dev  # opens http://localhost:5175

Pick a seed color and see both themes + Tailwind utilities.

License

MIT