Create a username and password after logging onto the Kuler website if you wish to save any color combinations you come up with, or simply play around with the Web application for free.
Click the "Create" button and choose either "From a Color" or "From an Image." If you choose to work with an image, you can upload an image file yourself or link to a Flickr account. Choosing "From a Color" allows you to pick from a set of pre-established color rules; options include analogous, monochromatic, triad, complementary, compound, shades and custom. These color rules will affect the colors chosen for your color palette.
Use the slider bar under the color wheel to adjust brightness.
Click and drag any of the color buttons within the color wheel to alter the selected color. Repeat this process with the other color buttons until you reach your desired color palette, or use the "Set as Base" option to alter the colors within your palette further. The "Set as Base" option allows you to change the base color within your palette; this alters the other colors according to the color rule you selected earlier.
Save your color combinations if you'd like to reference them at a later time, or copy the color's numbers from the bottom of the Kuler color chart to use in another program.