Color Tools
Color Temperature Converter - Kelvin to RGB Color
Convert color temperature in Kelvin to an RGB color value. Visualize warm candlelight, daylight, and cool sky temperatures.
- Hex
- #fffefa
- RGB
- 255, 254, 250
- Kelvin
- 6500 K - Daylight D65
Color temperature scale (1 000–20 000 K)
Common presets
What is color temperature?
Color temperature describes the visual warmth or coolness of a white-light source, measured in Kelvin (K). It is based on the color a theoretical "black body" radiator would glow at a given temperature.
Common values
- 1800 K: Candlelight: deep orange-red glow.
- 2700–3000 K: Warm white incandescent bulbs used in homes.
- 3200 K: Halogen / warm studio lighting.
- 5500–6000 K: Average noon sunlight, photographic daylight.
- 6500 K: Standard daylight white point (D65), used in monitors.
- 7500–10 000 K: Overcast sky to clear blue sky.
RGB approximation
The conversion uses Tanner Helland's algorithm, which provides a fast and visually accurate approximation from 1 000 K to 40 000 K. Values outside that range are clamped.
White balance in photography
White balance (WB) is a camera setting that adjusts the color of light so that whites appear white (not warm or cool) in the captured image. Without white balance correction, an indoor scene lit by tungsten bulbs (~2700 K) will appear orange if the camera is set for daylight (~5500 K), and a cloudy outdoor scene (~6500 K) will look bluish if no correction is applied. Modern cameras offer preset white balance modes (Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent) corresponding to common lighting temperatures, as well as a "Custom" or "Kelvin" mode where you set the exact temperature.
Circadian rhythm impact
Light color temperature affects the human body's production of melatonin, the sleep hormone:
- 5500 K and above (blue-white daylight): strongly suppresses melatonin production, promoting alertness. Ideal for workplaces, task lighting, and morning exposure. Screen use of bright blue-white light in the evening delays sleep onset.
- 2700–3000 K (warm white): low melatonin suppression. Better for bedrooms and evening environments. "Night mode" / "warm mode" on smartphones reduces blue-light emission by shifting toward this temperature range.
Monitor calibration standards
- D65 (6500 K): the standard white point for consumer monitors, sRGB, and web design. When calibrating a monitor for web work, aim for a white point of D65.
- D50 (5000 K): the standard white point for print work and prepress. Slightly warmer than D65 to simulate viewing printed output under a print-evaluation light source. Graphic designers working on print-destined content should calibrate their monitors to D50 and use a D50-illuminated light box when comparing screen to print.