Pre-flight a brand palette
Preview how a 5-color brand reads under deuteranopia and protanopia before shipping the guideline.
Color Vision Simulator
See how any color appears under different types of color vision deficiency. Part of Paletta.
Quick answer: Roughly 8% of males and 0.5% of females have some form of color vision deficiency (CVD). The most common types involve reduced sensitivity to red (protanopia) or green (deuteranopia).
Colors
Original | Protanopia Reduced red sensitivity | Deuteranopia Reduced green sensitivity | Tritanopia Reduced blue sensitivity | Achromatopsia No color perception |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#3B82F6 | #6262E1 | #5E58DC | #41CECA | #858585 |
How it works
- 1
Enter one or more colors
Paste hex codes or use the color picker.
- 2
View simulations
See how each color appears under four types of color vision deficiency.
- 3
Check for conflicts
Colors that look distinct to you may appear identical to others.
What is color vision simulation?
Roughly 8% of males and 0.5% of females have some form of color vision deficiency (CVD). The most common types involve reduced sensitivity to red (protanopia) or green (deuteranopia). Less common are blue deficiency (tritanopia) and complete absence of color perception (achromatopsia).
A color vision simulator applies mathematical transformations to show how colors appear under each condition. This reveals problematic combinations like red and green indicators that become indistinguishable for roughly 2% of users.
Testing for CVD is a core part of accessible design. WCAG 1.4.1 requires that color is never the sole means of conveying information. The European Accessibility Act, enforceable since June 2025, makes accessibility compliance a legal requirement for digital products sold in the EU.
Cross-check the simulated pairs with the WCAG contrast checker, sample real source colors using extract palette from image, or upgrade to Paletta Pro to validate every shade in your system at once.
Common use cases
Validate chart legibility
Confirm series colors stay distinguishable across red-green and blue-yellow vision.
Sanity-check a status system
Make sure success, warning, and error stay separable for users with color vision differences.
Sell accessibility internally
Show stakeholders the real impact of a palette choice, not just a contrast number. Tie the result back to a system view with the shade scale generator.
Frequently asked questions
Simulating individual colors is a start.
Paletta's accessibility lens validates your entire color system across all CVD types simultaneously.