Color display discrepancy on calibrated monitor

I needed to purchase paint for a project, and to save time decided to select the color from online color samples. Since I calibrated my monitor a month ago I felt totally confident in my selection, marched into the paint store and ordered a gallon of the color I'd selected.

Well, once I got home and started painting I realized that the color was hideous..... it was much darker and intense than it appeared in the online color chart.

I'm wondering where I went wrong (OK.... I'm really looking for excuses to lesson the fury of my wife). If it matters I'm using Chrome as my browser.

Two possibilities. One, your monitor was not calibrated to their calibration and two is that your browser is not set up for color management.

Most people calibrate to D65, gamma 2.2, and luminosity of 120 for photographs. If your settings or theirs are different that could be the problem.

As far as browsers go, download the photo and view it in your editor. That well let you know if that is the problem. Then if it is, download a managed browser or set up the one you got.

Chrome isn't colour-managed. You need to be using Firefox.
But even so, I wouldn't ever trust a website for ordering paint. I trust my monitor calibration for photo printing, but heck ... I'd always get the swatch for paint.

groundloop wrote in post #18858013
OK.... I'm really looking for excuses to lesson the fury of my wife

Buy a new lens, she'll forget about the paint incident real quick ... at least temporarily.

Former painting major. Paint color can be darker and more saturated due to its consistency and number of coats. It's also reflective of light, so it can look quite different throughout the day (when it's under daylight vs interior light). I'm not sure I'd trust a computer monitor's rendition of the paint color even if I held it up to the very wall that would be painted, and have my calibrator measure the ambient light. Calibrators are for measuring RGB values of a screen, while paint is measured by the amount of pigment in a binder (that influences saturation, hue, and value). If there's less pigment, there will be more of the original color showing through. The best consistency you can have is getting paint samples and painting swatches on the wall. When I had my townhouse repainted, I asked to keep all the paint cans. Even if the paint goes empty or dry, the cans still have the paint codes for the exact same fresh color.

A computer monitor emits light, so it looks different than paint, which reflects light. The colors on a computer are additive, where white is where red. green, and blue pixels all turned on. Paint uses subtractive color mixing, where the same three colors make black. A computer screen also can't display the same range of color space, or "gamut" that exists in real life. There are also other differences (bit depth for one, and others mentioned in the thread) that cause differences between a paint chip, and an image of that paint rendered on a screen.

Actually, there are so many different types of paint (and colors that make up a "red", "green", "blue") that it's easier to get a dark mud color vs true black. Using dark phthalo or prussian blue in the mix will usually make a good rich black (with acrylic or oil paint).

Unfortunately it's not a closed system of calibration, the paint mixer isn't calibrated to your monitor of visa versa. Colour matching systems all have to be calibrated directly against each other to weed out issues and inaccuracies. We have standards for calibration like sRGB, adobeRGB, Pantone colour, etc. and they are mostly pretty good but you always need tests and samples when there are so many complicated systems interacting, not to mention lighting, substrate, etc, etc. When I worked as a printer every job was proofed and there were test runs before being signed off by the client. The test runs were expensive, specially if they required revision but it was invaluable for the final result.

Best advice I can give get tests and samples whenever you require an accurate colour match.

The error could be on the way their website is displayed, the way the paint is mixed, the different between additive and subtractive colour. Do the colours look more or less closely matched on a mobile phone/laptop/something other than your monitor? Maybe it was mixed badly and you can contact them, or your own calibration is a bit off.

davesrose wrote in post #18858103
Actually, there are so many different types of paint (and colors that make up a "red", "green", "blue") that it's easier to get a dark mud color vs true black. Using dark phthalo or prussian blue in the mix will usually make a good rich black (with acrylic or oil paint).

You are correct, but I was trying to keep it simple- keep the theory at the "30,000 foot" level. When printing, There is usually a black ink (4 color printing- CYMK), but there was Hexachrome (6 color), and there is 7,8, and 12 color printing available to cover a greater color range.

The point remains that there is no good way to match a paint color from a generic computer monitor for a variety of reasons.

Gamut, guys!

You know the real problem here, just say it.



So many potential issues it's impossible to say.

Anyone want to describe the chroma and lightness values of my avatar?

its always been an intentional challenge, but one I never bring up. Then look at it on other devices.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #18858537
Gamut, guys!

You know the real problem here, just say it.



So many potential issues it's impossible to say.

Anyone want to describe the chroma and lightness values of my avatar?

its always been an intentional challenge, but one I never bring up. Then look at it on other devices.

See post #6

I just wanted to say gamut like damnit.

That's all.