Generate Color Palettes in Sheets
Formula
Color Palette generates beautiful color schemes with RGB, HSL, contrast ratios, and WCAG accessibility compliance data.
=VERVE("colorpalette", A2)=VERVE.CALL("colorpalette", A2)A2 holds the color you're looking up. Drag the formula down and each row resolves on its own.
With literal values
Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.
=VERVE("colorpalette", "FF5733")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
colorRequired | string | argument 2 | The base color to generate the palette from (HEX format without #) (e.g. FF5733) |
scheme | string | "scheme", value | The color scheme type (e.g. triade) |
variation | string | "variation", value | The color variation (e.g. soft) |
countPremium | integer | "count", value | Number of colors to return (1-16). Free tier limited to 5 colors (e.g. 5) |
distancePremium | number | "distance", value | Color spacing distance (0-1). Affects triade, tetrade, and analogic schemes (e.g. 0.5) |
addComplementPremium | boolean | "addComplement", value | Add complement color to analogic scheme (e.g. true) |
webSafe | boolean | "webSafe", value | Return web-safe colors only (e.g. false) |
Passing an option
=VERVE("colorpalette", A2, "scheme", "triade")What lands in your sheet
With no "field" pair the formula spills the whole response as two columns — field name on the left, value on the right — starting at the cell you typed in. Make sure the cells below and to the right are empty.
Pulling one value
Add a "field" pair to get a single cell back instead of a table. The field name is the dot-path from the table below.
=VERVE("colorpalette", A2, "field", "source")=VERVE.CALL("colorpalette", A2, "field", "source")Available fields
#PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
source | string | #FF5733 | |
sourceName | string | Outrageous Orange | |
hue | number | 11 | |
scheme | string | triade | |
variation | string | soft | |
distance | number | 0.5 | |
colorCount | number | 5 | |
colorPalette | array[5] | list of rows | |
colorPalette.0.hex | string | #CC988F | |
colorPalette.0.name | string | Oriental Pink | |
colorPalette.0.rgb | object | {…} | |
colorPalette.0.rgb.r | number | 204 | |
colorPalette.0.rgb.g | number | 152 | |
colorPalette.0.rgb.b | number | 143 | |
colorPalette.0.hsl | object | {…} | |
colorPalette.0.hsl.h | number | 9 | |
colorPalette.0.hsl.s | number | 37 | |
colorPalette.0.hsl.l | number | 68 | |
colorPalette.0.luminance | number | 0.373 | |
colorPalette.0.isDark | boolean | true | |
colorPalette.0.textColor | string | #FFFFFF | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility | object | {…} | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility.contrastWithWhite | number | 2.48 | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility.contrastWithBlack | number | 8.46 | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility.wcagAANormal | boolean | false | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility.wcagAALarge | boolean | false | |
colorPalette.0.accessibility.wcagAAA | boolean | false | |
colorPaletteRaw | array | ["cc988f","805f59","e6d2cf"] | |
cssPremium | string | :root {
--primary: #CC988F;
--primary-rgb: 204, 152, 143;
--secondary: #805F59;
--secondary-rgb: 128, 95, 89;
--tertiary: #E6D2CF;
--tertiary-rgb: 230, 210, 207;
--quaternary: #BF6E60;
--quaternary-rgb: 191, 110, 96;
--quinary: #A2CC8F;
--quinary-rgb: 162, 204, 143;
} | Ready-to-use CSS variables |
imagePremium | object | {…} | Generated palette image file details |
image.imageName | string | 6ee29826-a52f-4c87-86f5-bef3b49f0dbb_palette.png | Filename of the generated palette image |
image.format | string | .png | Image file format (e.g. .png) |
image.downloadURL | string | https://storage.googleapis.com/apiverve/APIData/colorpalette/6ee29826-a52f-4c87-86f5-bef3b49f0dbb_palette.png?GoogleAccessId=635500398038-compute%40developer.gserviceaccount.com&Expires=1766010083&Signature=Boef5OapaNmcyp0F8bGmf%2BVfQk3zQkiWcw1THBfbsevtYGZnOuzr7xKDRlk9FYiHidSoMz6wjody2ymL7GzUoHkDvA8PEdSERhAq2z9St5yWlaX1c87KoNh%2FtCQEJqHixYk039NuYyb%2FhJu18JFY1RNrOfo8OPZEn9a3ICQdTDL0fYQEZEBxnDuc%2B7wvn4q9UFWhCJcf302HcoZoCw76AzrgVRu%2FazuahqHdVWMR1K5QTV3U51lSoqC23ERHjRZ6uZB8W0bCO65qBFrRNzWEPSVCC%2F8oafvvitZwB1YCG674q3MbtRhWXIhX2zdoPCT%2BgxL7E4fgIyXDtDLm5%2Bm%2Fsg%3D%3D | URL to download the generated palette image |
image.expires | number | 1766010083748 |
Filling a whole column
Hand the first argument a range instead of a cell and the add-in makes one batched call for the lot, then spills the answers down. That is faster than dragging the formula and costs the same credits — one per row looked up.
=VERVE("colorpalette", A2:A100, "field", "source")=VERVE.CALL("colorpalette", A2:A100, "field", "source")A2:A100 is the column of color values. The result spills down alongside it, one row per input, blanks skipped.
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() won't catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | The preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in colorpalette | An option name that this source doesn't take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path isn't in the response. Check the dot-path against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan doesn't include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The month's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet doesn't leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Other ways to use Generate Color Palettes in Sheets
Set up Generate Color Palettes in Sheets on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Generate Color Palettes in Sheets work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes — the same source, the same arguments. Sheets calls it =VERVE("colorpalette", …) and Excel calls it =VERVE.CALL("colorpalette", …); that function name is the only difference.
Do the cells recalculate on their own?
They recalculate when the sheet does — on edit, on open, or on a manual recalc. Each recalculation is a fresh call and spends credits, so for a large static column it's worth copying the results and pasting them as values.
How many credits does a filled column cost?
1 credit per row looked up, whether you drag the formula or pass a range. The range form is one HTTP call instead of many, but the credit count is the same.
Can I share the sheet without sharing my key?
Yes. The key is stored against your account, not in the file. Collaborators see the values already in the cells; formulas only recalculate for someone who has connected their own account.
Why is a cell showing #ERR instead of an error?
So you can read the reason. Excel can't display a custom message on a real spreadsheet error, so the add-in returns the explanation as text on both platforms instead.