paint from RGB

Discussion in 'Interior Design' started by barkest, Jul 25, 2012.

  1. barkest

    barkest New Seed

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    Hi all,

    does anyone know if it is possible to get a paint colour (or paint name) from an RGB value?

    I have the RGB value on screen but so far I have been unable to match it to a colour (real world paint colour). I went to Dulux and they can't do it on their system (nowhere to input the RGB value), and also B&Q (same issue). I have looked at a lot of websites and still can't find a solution.

    thank you in advance
     
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  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Not totally sure this will be what you are looking for...
    http://kb.iu.edu/data/aetf.html

    If you are looking to reproduce a specific color for a painting project and have a sample of the color many stores that mix custom paint colors have a machine that can read a color sample to determine the values of which colors were used to create that specific color. But the resulting paint color might be a little different from the sample as the color will be affected by the type and color of base paint used to make the custom color...even the brand of the base paint will affect the outcome.
     
  4. barkest

    barkest New Seed

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    Hi toni,

    thanks for the reply.

    The paint mixing process in the stores uses a spectrum analyser (used on a swatch which can be material, a paint chip etc.) which then gives them an approximate match for the paint colour.

    What I am looking for is:

    I do not have any samples but I have the RGB colour value. From this I would like to find a paint match (closest existing paint) or be able to get a paint mixed from the value. I have been to two stores and both can't input the RGB value. I then thought that maybe they have websites where you type in the RGB value and it gives you an approximate paint match from their paint range but as of yet I have not been able to find anything.

    hope that makes sense if not then think of it this way:

    I have a colour on screen and I know the RGB value and I want to get a paint to more-or-less match it.

    thanks
     
  5. cherylad

    cherylad Countess of Cute-ification Plants Contributor

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  6. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Okay, now it makes sense. Not surprising that the equipment at paint stores can't do what you need, the machines are made for the purpose of following established 'recipes' not for ad-lib when it comes to mixing paint colors.. except when matching a paint swatch someone brings in.

    Sounds like knowing the RGB color values isn't going to get the paint you want....unless you have the time and desire to do a lot of experimenting with different brands and colors of base paint and the primary color pigments to mix your own.

    Have you tried printing out the color to see if comes close to what you want? Take the print to the store and compare it to the color swatches available.
    Or if the color is on your laptop screen, take that to the store instead.
    You will probably find something that will more or less match it (closest existing paint) as you said that is one of your options if you can't find an exact match.
     
  7. Henry Johnson

    Henry Johnson In Flower

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    Barkest wrote:
    (I have a colour on screen and I know the RGB value and I want to get a paint to more-or-less match it.)
    How about if you make a picture on screen of about 2"x2" or larger then using a decent colour printer with photographic paper, print out the picture and take the pic to the paint stores' spectrum analyzer.. That might work..
    Hank
    P.S. Came back to edit, it seems Toni and I had the same idea and posted almost simultaneously.. Hank
     
  8. cherylad

    cherylad Countess of Cute-ification Plants Contributor

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    If you're trying to match a color on your computer screen, keep in mind... there's light projecting that color. And since it's "illuminated"... nothing printed or painted onto a surface it will appear the same. Grab a printed item... photograph, painting, brochure, magazine... and find something in it that comes close to the color you're wanting. Any paint store should be able to match that.
     
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  9. barkest

    barkest New Seed

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    I have now worked through this process with different ideas and have settled on the following:

    I take a base colour from an image. So I take a photo of a sofa and then in Adobe Illustrator I take three different areas of the sofa to generate an average colour value for the sofa. I then use this base colour as the base to generate a colour theme in the Adobe Kuler. I then place the new colour theme (5 colours) into Adobe Illustrator and then I match these on screen with a similar colour from a paint manufacturers website. I can do this because it is on the same computer screen with the same lighting hitting the screen so I am comparing like with like. I then have a new colour theme (or scheme) based on my sofa (which was used as the inspiration) and I know each colour of the 5 colours because I have the corresponding paint swatch in real life (as opposed to virtual on screen).

    I hope that is not too confusing.
     
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  10. cherylad

    cherylad Countess of Cute-ification Plants Contributor

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    Since I use some of those programs, I understand your process. Glad you figured it all out.
     
  11. Skeel

    Skeel New Seed

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    You can get paint recipes from RGB values in a program from Sensual Logic called Paintmaker. It is working online and you can try it for free.
    It works with the artist colours Rembrandt Fine Artist Oil colours and Golden Heavy Body Acrylics.
    I know this is not for painting walls but you can make a paint test in acrylics and take that to a shop and avoid the RGB code problem.
    Hope that helped.
     
  12. ellaloo

    ellaloo Seedling

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    you can get new colour according to the matching of different RGB value, but you must know that the same colour may look different in varied situation.
     
  13. Skeel

    Skeel New Seed

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    I know the same colour can look different in different light. It is called metamerism. The recipes in PaintMaker are arranged so the first recipe always are the the colour with the least metamerism. It won't change in different light. Recipe 2 and 3 has more and more metamerism even if the look closer to the desired rgb colour
     

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