How to Match or Mix a Paint Color ?
You need to find the exact color of a paint, whether for repainting a bag, shoes or car seats ? Follow our tips to easily match a color from a photo or by making the right mixes.
Find the original color
Find color palette from a photo or image
Use a color mixing tool like SneakArts’ Color Mixer to know which paint to buy and mix from an image or a photo. Pick the color code by clicking on the image or enter the hexadecimal code directly.
Plan on using 3 colors to recreate an exact color. The more colors you have on hand, the easier it will be, because photo color depends on lighting and other parameters
Color Mixer
Find color with sample or hex code
Another way to find the right color is to have a sample, or the exact reference from the manufacturer’s chart or a universal chart like Pantone.
- With a sample, you can compare precisely whether the color is right.
- With the Pantone or reference hex code, you can order exactly the same color.
How to mix colors to make other colors ?
Blend several nearby shades
The simplest technique is to have a wide palette so you can pick several shades close to your target and mix more easily. Choose the closest color on the chart, then adjust the shade by adding another color, a primary (Yellow, Cyan/Blue, Magenta/Red) as well as White or Black.
Tip : always test your mixes and note the ratios so you can reproduce them easily.
Mixing Primary Colors
A slightly more advanced technique involves mixing primary colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) to achieve the desired shade.
The advantage is that you only need three paints, but it’s harder to get the exact tone — because it’s rare to have perfectly pure primary colors.
Use a color wheel to know which proportions to mix.
Adjust and enhance a color
How to make a color more vibrant ?
The best technique for vibrant shades is to use fluorescent paints, also called neon paints.
Apply them directly, or mix them with standard colors to make your shades pop. You can mix them on a palette, or apply a fluorescent layer on top of a standard base.
Now you can easily create the perfect color for your project with the right paint combinations.
How to darken or lighten a color ?
The basic rule is to darken with black and lighten with white.
But you can also darken a shade by mixing it with its complementary color (the one opposite on the color wheel) or lighten it by diluting the paint.
Now you know how to mix colors to find the best match for your paint using different techniques. Feel free to share our color mixer with your friends to help them.
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