Palette practice
How to use a palette maker without losing your point of view
Generators are good at opening doors. The designer still decides which room is worth entering.
Bring one decision with you
Start with an anchor color, a reference image, or a sentence about the feeling you want. Without a starting point, a generator can produce endless options without helping you choose.
Use harmony controls to explore a direction, then lock the parts that already feel intentional. The goal is not maximum variety; it is a palette with enough internal logic to use.
Stop when the palette becomes useful
A palette is ready when you can name what each color is doing and where it belongs. Copy the values, test them in the real layout, and only then return for another round.
That pause is where taste enters the tool. The generator supplies options; the project supplies the constraints.