Color Blindness Simulator

See how one color looks with color blindness

This color blindness simulator takes a single color and shows how it may appear to people with four types of color vision deficiency: protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia and achromatopsia. It is useful when you choose brand colors, chart colors or button states and want to check that they still stand apart. You enter a color, and the tool gives you a simulated HEX value for each type.

How to use it

1. Pick a color with the color picker, type a HEX code such as #C8522A or #F80, or enter R, G and B values from 0 to 255.
2. The three inputs stay in sync, and a large swatch shows your original color.
3. Look at Color Vision Simulations. Each card shows the simulated color, its HEX code and a short note.
4. Click Copy on a card to copy that HEX value.
5. Use the Side-by-side comparison bar to see all five versions next to each other. Hover a segment to see its HEX code.

How it works

For each type, the tool multiplies your red, green and blue values by a fixed 3×3 color matrix. The result is rounded and kept between 0 and 255, then shown as a new HEX color. Achromatopsia uses a luminance formula (0.299 R + 0.587 G + 0.114 B) to turn the color into a matching shade of gray. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.

Type	Affects	Common confusion
Protanopia	Red-sensing cones	Red and green
Deuteranopia	Green-sensing cones	Red and green
Tritanopia	Blue-sensing cones	Blue and yellow
Achromatopsia	All color vision	Only shades of gray

These matrices are a common, simple model. They give a useful preview, but real color vision differs from person to person, and screens show colors differently. Milder forms such as protanomaly and deuteranomaly are not simulated separately.

Tips

• Test the colors that must look different, such as error red and success green. If their simulated swatches look alike, add an icon, label or pattern too.
• Do not rely on hue alone. Strong lightness differences survive every simulation, including grayscale.
• To check text readability, pair this with the Color Contrast Checker.

Frequently asked questions

Can I upload an image or screenshot?

No. This tool simulates one color at a time from a HEX or RGB value. It is designed for checking palettes and individual UI colors.

Which type of color blindness is most common?

Red-green types are the most common, mostly in men. Deuteranomaly, a milder green form, is the most frequent of all. Blue-yellow types and complete color blindness are rare.

Is the simulation medically accurate?

It is an approximation for design work, not a diagnostic test. Use it to spot colors that may be confused, then confirm with real users when you can.