A method and apparatus to automatically generate a customized color palette receives data corresponding to several physical attributes of a living subject, such as hair, skin and eyes and conducts an analysis uniquely corresponding to each attribute, and may associate each attribute with at least one property such as a color family, a technical identifier, an intensifier, a temperature, a power color, and a saturation designation. Software may identify the color linked to each attribute by, for example, an LAB value, an RGB value, an HTML value, an XYZ value or a CMY value, while an intensifier may be a contrasting color, and saturation may indicate whether the color linked to the attribute is a tone, tint, shade or hue. A color palette uniquely compatible with the subject may be presented by print media, monitor, printer, cell phone, personal digital assistant, or the like.