Generate Color Palettes in Google Sheets & Excel

What this pulls

Build color schemes from a base color in your spreadsheet. Returns HEX, RGB and contrast data — Sheets or Excel.

It's one of 250+ live sources you reach with a single =VERVE() function — served from APIVerve's production data engine, billed at 1 credit per resolved cell, and refreshed on whatever cadence you set. No API keys to wrangle, no scripts, no exports.

See it in a cell

A real example — the input you type, and the values you can pull from it. Click any cell to see the formula behind it.

colorpalette.xlsxsample data

B2fx=VERVE("colorpalette", A2, "field", "source")

Color

Source

Source Name

Hue

Scheme

FF5733

#FF5733

Outrageous Orange

triade

click any cell to see its formula1 credit / cell

Ways to use it

One value per row

Fill =VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "source") down a column and Generate Color Palettes returns a result for every row — a batch of live values in a single drag, no code.

Enrich data in place

Add Generate Color Palettes beside a table you already have to append its output right where your data lives, then sort, filter, or chart on it.

Stays fresh on its own

Set the sheet to refresh on a schedule and the generate color palettes values keep themselves current without anyone re-typing.

Use it in your sheet

The same function works in both apps — install once, sign in with your key, and type it into any cell.

Google SheetsAdd-on

Install from the Workspace Marketplace, then drop the formula into a cell. Autocomplete suggests the source and its fields.

=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "source")

Microsoft ExcelAdd-in

Same source, same arguments, same key — in Excel on desktop, the web, or mobile. Excel namespaces it as VERVE.CALL. Drag to fill a whole column.

=VERVE.CALL("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "source")

Optional inputs

Tune the result by adding name=value before the field argument — in any order. Leave one out and its default applies.

scheme
The color scheme type
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "scheme", "triade")
variation
The color variation
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "variation", "soft")
countPremium
Number of colors to return (1-16). Free tier limited to 5 colors
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "count", "5")
distancePremium
Color spacing distance (0-1). Affects triade, tetrade, and analogic schemes
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "distance", "0.5")
addComplementPremium
Add complement color to analogic scheme
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "addComplement", "true")
webSafe
Return web-safe colors only
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "webSafe", "false")

Fields you can pull

Add a field name as the last argument to land just that value in the cell.

Color Palette › Hex
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.hex")
Color Palette › Rgb
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.rgb")
Color Palette › HslPremium
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.hsl")
Color Palette › LuminancePremium
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.luminance")
Color Palette › AccessibilityPremium
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.accessibility")
CssPremium
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "css")
ImagePremium
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "image")
Image › Image Name
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "image.imageName")
Image › Format
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "image.format")
Image › Download URL
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "image.downloadURL")

Premium marks data included on paid plans. On the Free plan a marked field is withheld and a marked input is ignored — either way the cell reads #PREMIUM(name) instead of a value, so a gated answer can never be mistaken for a real one. Everything unmarked works on every plan. Compare plans

Generate Color Palettes, answered

Everything you need to wire it into a sheet.

How do I pull Generate Color Palettes into Google Sheets?

Install the VerveSheets add-on, sign in once with your key, and type =VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "field", "colorPalette.0.hex") into any cell. The "field" argument names the value you want back, so the cell resolves to a single number or string you can chart, sort, or feed into another formula.

What data can I pull from Generate Color Palettes?

Generate Color Palettes returns colorPalette.0.hex, colorPalette.0.rgb, image.imageName, image.format and image.downloadURL — name any one of them as the "field" argument and that value lands in the cell. Leave the field out and the whole record spills into a two-column table instead.

Can I narrow what Generate Color Palettes returns?

Yes — Generate Color Palettes takes "scheme", "variation", "count" and "distance", plus 2 more as optional inputs. They go in as "name", value pairs after the required ones, in any order, so =VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733", "scheme", "triade") shapes the result without changing anything else.

Which Generate Color Palettes fields need a paid plan?

colorPalette.0.hsl, colorPalette.0.luminance, colorPalette.0.accessibility and css, plus 1 more are included from the Starter plan up. On the Free plan the cell returns #PREMIUM(field) rather than a wrong or empty value, so it's always obvious which one to upgrade for. Every other field works on Free.

Can I fill a whole column of Generate Color Palettes at once?

Yes. Put your color values down a column and point the formula at the range — A2:A50 instead of A2 — and one call returns a value for every row. Dragging the formula down works too, but the range form is a single billed call per column rather than one per cell.

How many credits does each Generate Color Palettes cell cost?

Each resolved cell costs 1 credit. A cell only re-bills when it actually refreshes, so a sheet you aren't touching doesn't keep charging.

Does Generate Color Palettes work in Excel as well as Google Sheets?

Yes — same arguments, same key, same fields. Excel namespaces custom functions, so the call is =VERVE.CALL() there and =VERVE() in Google Sheets; nothing else about it changes.

Generate Color Palettes

One value per row

Enrich data in place

Stays fresh on its own

Generate Color Palettes, answered

Put Generate Color Palettes in your next spreadsheet. Add the extension, paste the formula, and the cell keeps itself current.

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