CMYK to HSL Converter
Paste a color in CMYK and read it back as HSL instantly, with a live preview and every other color model alongside it.
Example conversion
cmyk(0%, 91%, 73%, 14%)
converts to
hsl(348, 83%, 47%)
About CMYK to HSL conversion
CMYK describes a color as percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black) ink on white paper, which is how printing works.
HSL splits a color into hue, saturation and lightness, which makes it easy to lighten, darken or mute a color without changing which color it is. Converting from CMYK to HSL gives you a value ready for CSS theming, hover states and building color scales.
Because this conversion crosses between screen and print, it is worth remembering that the two do not cover the same range of colors. Ink on paper cannot reach the most saturated colors a backlit screen produces, so a very vivid color converts to the closest printable equivalent rather than an exact match. The conversion here is the standard mathematical one and does not apply an ICC profile - for a critical print run, check against your printer's own profile.
How the conversion works
Every conversion in this tool routes through RGB. Your CMYK value is turned into red, green and blue first, and then out again into HSL - so the same tested math serves all 90 directions instead of one formula per pair. HEX is a direct rewriting of RGB; HSL, HSV and HWB are geometric transformations of it; CMYK uses the standard subtractive formula; LAB and LCH go through the CIE XYZ color space using the D65 reference white the web is defined against; and OKLAB and OKLCH use their own matrices over linear-light RGB.
Everything runs in your browser as you type, so nothing is uploaded and the result appears instantly. The panel under the converter shows the same color in all ten models at once, which usually saves you a second conversion.
Named CSS colors in CMYK and HSL
The sixteen basic CSS color keywords plus eight more that come up constantly, each shown in both models side by side. Pick any row to drop that color into the converter and read it in the other eight models too.
Frequently asked questions
Is this CMYK to HSL converter free?
Yes, completely free, with no account, watermark or usage limits. Use the results for anything, including commercial work.
Can I paste a value instead of typing each number?
Yes. The "Paste a value" field is lenient about separators - commas,
spaces and slashes all work, and hex codes are accepted with or without
the leading #, including shorthand like #abc.
Can I convert the other way as well?
Yes - use the swap button between the two dropdowns, or go straight to the HSL to CMYK converter. Every one of the ten color models converts to every other, which is 90 conversions in total.
Is anything uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored when you close the page.