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Paint Matching Tool

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2.1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Docmani  
D
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all, I wanted to share this with my fellow model builders

I've been working the past year and a half on a phone app that allows you to specify a color (CIELAB, XYZ, or RGB) and the app will calculate the mix of model paints you need to match that color.

Currently supported are basic Tamiya Acrylic XF (flat), Vallejo Model Color, and Games Workshop airbrush paints.

I've been playing around with it matching some of the Enterprise Smithsonian colors that were released. (I know Gary Kerr adjusted the colors to account for the age, but I've played around with the measured colors)

I hope this will help people share colors and produce custom mixes more often!

At the page below I have links to YouTube videos on how to get the best use out of the app (as well as see how it works!
Using The Paint Decoder

Here is the App Store link.

apps.apple.com

‎Paint Decoder

‎The Paint Decoder App allows model builders to calculate paint mixes that will produce a desired color. The app supports color input formats - CIELAB, XYZ, and RGB*. This allows a user to use color information from online databases or color scanners to calculate mixes for colors to assist in...
apps.apple.com

Google Play link

 
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#3 ·
The app doesn't support loading an image, however there are tons of tools online that let you pick RGB colors from an image. I have a video where I do this. The video has an example where I take a screenshot of the McQuarrie matte painting of the Enterprise Refit Shuttlebay and try to pick a color from it and match it.


Your millage may vary with RGB colors. The more muted colors tend to come out better where brighter/saturated colors are harder to match. This isn't the app so much as a limitation of the paint colors available in model paint ranges.

On the plus side, the app does give a 'delta E' color distance, so you can tell how good a match its acquired, so you'll at least know what to expect before you actually try the mix.
 
T
#4 ·
This looks like an amazing tool!
I've gotten pretty good at mixing paint colors over the years, but there is still a lot of trial and error which can result in a lot of wasted paint and wasted time. This would take the guesswork out of matching custom color mixes and save a lot of time. And, at my age, every minute is a precious commodity!
 
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