Guides: the ideas behind the tools
What the guides cover
The tools on this site make decisions fast; the guides slow down and explain the reasoning. They cover the OKLCH color space and how it differs from HSL, the two contrast systems (WCAG ratios and APCA) and which one a given situation calls for, how to build tint and shade scales that stay even, what happens when a color falls outside the sRGB gamut, how to turn a photograph into a working palette, and what individual colors communicate.
A sensible reading path
New to OKLCH? Start with OKLCH vs HSL, then building OKLCH scales for the practical method. Working on accessibility: WCAG vs APCA first, then apply it in the contrast checker. Starting from a photo or a brand: the palette extraction guide and the color meaning series pair well with the extractor and names encyclopedia.