Converting CMYK to HSV
CMYK is the subtractive, four-ink model used by printers, expressed as cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black) percentages. HSV (also called HSB) describes a color by hue, saturation, and value/brightness — the model behind most color-picker wheels.
The key thing to understand converting between CMYK and HSV is that CMYK is a print (subtractive, ink-based) model while HSV is a screen (additive, light-based) model. The conversion is a close mathematical approximation — the two gamuts don't overlap perfectly, so a color that looks vivid on screen can print duller. For accurate print work, always confirm against your printer's ICC profile or a physical proof.
This CMYK to HSV converter works instantly in your browser: type or pick a CMYK color and the HSV value updates live, along with every other common format so you can copy whichever you need. Nothing is sent to a server, and it is completely free with no limits.
When do you need HSV?
Reach for HSV when you are working on color pickers and image-editing tools like Photoshop and GIMP. Designers and developers routinely convert CMYK to HSV to move a color between a print workflow and a design one without eyeballing it. If you want to grab a color straight from an image instead of typing it, try our color picker from image, or build a full scheme with the palette generator.
You can also convert in the other direction with our HSV to CMYK converter, or jump to any other format — the tool always shows HEX, RGB, HSL, HSV, and CMYK side by side.