Kelp as a scale
Eleven steps from #4d503c, built by moving lightness in OKLCh and keeping the hue where it is. Every step is gamut-mapped by giving up chroma, never by clipping channels — clipping is what turns a light blue purple.
| Stop | Hex | OKLCh L | Chroma | On white | On black | APCA on white | ΔE00 from the step above |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | #f4f8e0 | 97.0% | 0.032 | 1.08:1 | 19.36:1 | 0 | — |
| 100 | #e9edd5 | 93.8% | 0.032 | 1.19:1 | 17.61:1 | 9 | 2.2 |
| 200 | #d4d8c1 | 87.4% | 0.032 | 1.45:1 | 14.44:1 | 22 | 4.7 |
| 300 | #c0c4ad | 81.0% | 0.032 | 1.79:1 | 11.71:1 | 33 | 5.0 |
| 400 | #acaf99 | 74.6% | 0.032 | 2.24:1 | 9.37:1 | 44 | 5.5 |
| 500 | #989c85 | 68.2% | 0.032 | 2.84:1 | 7.40:1 | 54 | 5.9 |
| 600 | #858872 | 61.8% | 0.032 | 3.64:1 | 5.76:1 | 64 | 6.6 |
| 700 | #727560 | 55.4% | 0.032 | 4.73:1 | 4.44:1 | 73 | 7.3 |
| 800 | #60634e | 49.0% | 0.032 | 6.21:1 | 3.38:1 | 81 | 7.0 |
| 900 | #373a27 | 34.0% | 0.032 | 11.68:1 | 1.80:1 | 97 | 13.9 |
| 950 | #111303 | 18.0% | 0.032 | 18.75:1 | 1.12:1 | 105 | 12.5 |
What is true of this ramp
- 10 of the 10 adjacent pairs differ by ΔE00 2 or more. Every step here is a step a reader can see.
- The tightest pair is 50 to100, at ΔE00 2.2.
- No step had to give up chroma: sRGB has room for this hue at every lightness in the ramp.
- 4 steps clear 4.5:1 on white (700, 800, 900, 950), and 7 on black (50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600).
Harmonies from Kelp
complement
the hue directly opposite, at the same lightness. #4f4b5e (+180°)
analogous
the two neighbours 30° either side. #564d3a (+-30°), #435343 (+30°)
split complement
the two hues either side of the opposite, 30° apart from it. #454e60 (+150°), #574858 (+210°)
triad
the circle divided in three. #3d515d (+120°), #5c474f (+240°)
tetrad
the circle divided in four. #395356 (+90°), #4f4b5e (+180°), #5e4745 (+270°)
The ramp as CSS
:root {
--kelp-50: #f4f8e0;
--kelp-100: #e9edd5;
--kelp-200: #d4d8c1;
--kelp-300: #c0c4ad;
--kelp-400: #acaf99;
--kelp-500: #989c85;
--kelp-600: #858872;
--kelp-700: #727560;
--kelp-800: #60634e;
--kelp-900: #373a27;
--kelp-950: #111303;
}