Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Best way to capture and match color

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-04-2011, 05:56 PM:

We need to match paint. Is there any device that can be used to EASILY read the color of an object and translate it into RGB values so that it can be duplicated. You would think they'd have an "APP" for that. Any ideas?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-04-2011, 06:04 PM:

That is a good question, one that I would be interested in the answer to. I would never trust the iPhone camera (or really any camera) and an "app" to discern the true color of a paint, though. There is probably some device that does it but I bet it just gets really, really close.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-04-2011, 06:36 PM:

You probably want the Pantone color book. Each color chip is assigned a Pantone number and that can be used to match it. Graphic arts people use this all the time, so I imagine that it would work for paint. If anyone would know about this, Bobby Henderson would.

Presumably, you would want to do the matching under a full-spectrum light source by someone who is not colorblind.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-04-2011, 07:31 PM:

I assume you are painting a wall or something like that. Right?

The paint store has a color matching computer with a colorimeter attached. All you have to do is take a sample, at least an inch square, and have them put it into the machine.

If you're repainting a wall, use a razor blade, carefully score the drywall and peel a one inch square. Take it to the store and they'll do the rest.

You can take in almost anything. Some people take in fabrics from their sofa or drapes. I have seen people putting kids toys into the machine.

A few years ago, I had to repaint part of the house and I wanted it to match the rest so I took off one of the asbestos shingles and they sampled it. It came out pretty darned close. Once it dried, if you didn't know where the new paint was you had to look hard to find the difference.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-04-2011, 08:20 PM:

Anyone who works with graphics on any regular basis really shouldn't be without a Pantone swatch book of Pantone solid ink colors (coated and uncoated swatches). Those swatches are a fairly reliable method to use & compare against color samples from different paint systems or any other colored item. You can at least get the color choice in the ballpark by choosing the nearest Pantone color number.

Most graphics applications have numerous color swatch libraries like those from Pantone installed. You can convert a Pantone based fill over to a RGB or CMYK value. Be advised CMYK has a very limited gamut range and quite a few Pantone spot colors have greater color intensity than any process color printer can produce.

When doing color comparisons make sure to do so under proper lighting conditions or at least make the color comparison under more than one type of light source. Fluorescent lamps are a terrible light source for the yellow cast they throw on color samples. Two colors that match under that light source may be way way off when compared under an incandescent lamp or bright sun light outdoors.

Certain graphics applications do a better job of showing the color on screen and making the printer output it with reasonable accuracy. I like using CorelDRAW for its technical drawing capability and HUGE work space, but it sucks on color output. I do all my color work in Adobe applications. They work so much better. I don't have the latest version of CorelDRAW though (they did a lot of work on the color engine in X5).

The Pantone Color Cue is a device that can read a color sample and then translate it to the nearest value in all the Pantone ranges of solid and process color inks. It also provides RGB and L*a*b equivalents. Unfortunately the device isn't cheap: $300. And the device isn't entirely fool proof either; results can vary.

X-Rite (the parent company of Pantone) has a variety of colorimeter systems that can measure color from computer monitors, color output from printers and develop custom profiles.

In the end, you have to do some trial and error testing on comparing the match between the RGB color value and target paint color by viewing it on different computer monitors, under different light sources and even printing samples. Most people just standardize a logo or graphic color on a Pantone solid ink number because that is at least one consistent model most graphics people understand.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-04-2011, 10:26 PM:

Thanks guys. The match will be of a painted wall outside so I guess either way -- bringing a Pantone swatch book to the wall or bringing a sample (chip off an inch square) and bring it to the machine. I knew that the paint stores hand such devices but I was just wondering if someone had stuffed it into a hand-held which is the thing they do with everything nowadays.

Scott -- Presumably....by someone who is not colorblind -- [Big Grin]

Sort of like one-eyed Andre De Toth directing HOUSE OF WAX and being 3D-blind!