CMYK to RGB Color Converter
FreeConvert CMYK print colors to RGB for screens. Enter C:0 M:66 Y:80 K:0, get RGB(255, 87, 51). Free, no upload required.
What's next
Settings guide
CMYK value ranges:
| Channel | Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| C (Cyan) | 0–100% | 0 = no cyan ink, 100 = full cyan |
| M (Magenta) | 0–100% | 0 = no magenta ink, 100 = full magenta |
| Y (Yellow) | 0–100% | 0 = no yellow ink, 100 = full yellow |
| K (Key/Black) | 0–100% | 0 = no black ink, 100 = full black |
Conversion formula:
- ·R = 255 × (1 − C/100) × (1 − K/100)
- ·G = 255 × (1 − M/100) × (1 − K/100)
- ·B = 255 × (1 − Y/100) × (1 − K/100)
When CMYK and RGB diverge:
- ·Vivid cyan (C:100 M:0 Y:0 K:0) → RGB(0, 255, 255) — displayable, but printed cyan often looks slightly greener in person
- ·Rich black (C:60 M:40 Y:40 K:100) → RGB(0, 0, 0) — same as pure black on screen, richer on paper
- ·Out-of-gamut colors cannot be represented on screen — the conversion clips them to the nearest RGB value
Format comparison
CMYK vs RGB gamut: CMYK can produce some colors (certain vivid greens and blues) that screens cannot display, and screens can display some colors (vivid saturated reds and blues) that print cannot reproduce. The two gamuts overlap significantly but neither is a superset.
Profile-based vs formula-based conversion: Professional print workflows use ICC color profiles (e.g., ISOcoated_v2, FOGRA39) for accurate CMYK-to-RGB conversion. Profile-based conversion accounts for paper stock, ink density, and press characteristics. Formula-based conversion (what this tool uses) is adequate for screen previews and web design work but should not be used for production print color management.
CMYK in CSS: CSS does not support CMYK colors. All web colors must be specified in RGB, HEX, HSL, or other screen-native formats. If your brand guide specifies CMYK values, always convert to RGB or HEX before use in CSS.
How it works
Enter CMYK
Input Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black) values as percentages (0–100).
Convert
The formula applies the subtractive-to-additive conversion: each ink channel reduces the corresponding screen channel.
Copy
Copy the RGB, RGBA, or HEX output for use in your stylesheet or design tool.
About this format
CMYK is the color model for print — Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black) are the four ink colors that offset presses and inkjet printers mix to produce full-color output. RGB is the color model for screens — Red, Green, and Blue light that monitors emit. They operate on opposite principles: CMYK is subtractive (mixing inks absorbs light), RGB is additive (mixing light creates color).
When you receive brand colors from a print designer in CMYK values, or extract colors from a print-ready PDF, you need to convert them to RGB before using them on a website or in a digital design. This converter applies the standard mathematical formula — it is an approximation without an ICC color profile, but it is accurate enough for most digital use cases.
One critical caveat: some CMYK colors (particularly vivid cyans, saturated greens, and certain magentas) exist outside the RGB color gamut. These are colors that physical inks can produce but screens cannot display. The converter outputs the nearest in-gamut RGB equivalent, which will look slightly less vivid than the printed original.