Apps to Match and Find Paint Color Palettes from a Photo
We’re back with the next installment of, er, what do we call it, fancy technology ways to find paint colors? We talked about web-based programs to help you try paint colors on your own room photos, and then mobile apps that let you virtually paint your own rooms, and today we have a list of apps that will help you find the perfect paint color palette from an inspiration image. Modern technology is pretty darn amazing.
You can use these apps to create color schemes (for decorating, not just for painting) based on inspirational room photos, color palettes (like you might find on Pinterest), mood boards, or another image — perhaps a rug, a piece of art, or a pillow that you are using to anchor your whole home color scheme — which makes these very useful apps not just for painting but for all sorts of decorating and inspiration.
Obviously these apps can only use the color information in the photo, so if the lighting is a warmer yellow or a cooler blue, the generated color scheme will reflect that. You may get better results from different apps, or by using a program like Photoshop or Picmonkey to tinker with the color temperature and/or lighting in your inspiration photo, especially if it’s one you took yourself, and especially if it’s on your phone. Mobile apps were tested using Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6, and you can see the difference in the palettes based on the differences between the cameras. The web-based apps were tested using two photos we’ve featured that we have frequent paint color requests: this blue kitchen island and this coral barn door.
And again, if you prefer a certain brand of paint, you can start with that service/app — but remember that any color formula can be matched to any brand of paint, so don’t feel limited by the brand whose app you use. Your mileage may vary depending on your project, but these tools are pretty cool! Let’s get started…
This post is part of a series about great painting and paint color tips. You can see the other posts here:
- Tips and tricks for painting
- How to test a paint color before you buy it
- Mobile apps to try out paint colors
- Creating a paint color palette from a photo
- 5 tricks for choosing the perfect paint color
6 Apps to Create a Color Palette from a Photo
Sherwin-Williams Chip It & ColorSnap
- Use the easy bookmarklet, upload a photo, or enter a URL
- Generates a full color palette
- “Edit colors” gives you a different, complimenting palette
- Log in required to save palettes
- Note that when using the bookmarklet tool, if you are on a site that uses other roll-over features (such as a pin button), sometimes the Chip It button won’t show up (in my short experience). You can solve this by right-clicking and opening the image in a new tab before clicking the bookmarklet, or by using the website to upload or enter the URL of the page.
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Get the ColorSnap app: Google Play // iTunes
also available: ColorSnap Studio for iPad
- Pulls a full varied color palette from the photo
- Click to get suggestions for a specific color from the photo
- Scan a paint chip number to see more info
- You can also test different paint colors with stock photos
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Behr ColorSmart App
Get it: Google Play // iTunes
- Gives you 3 similar color selections based on the part of the photo you click
- Scan a paint chip to see examples of rooms using that paint color
- You can also try out different paint colors with stock photos
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ColorClix by Olympic
Get it: Google Play // iTunes
- Easily select colors from a photo
- Choose shades of one color, complementary colors, or see paint collections that the color is included in
- Clunky on Android, smoother on iPhone
PPG Paint Color Sampler
- Upload photo only (no bookmarklet)
- Generates a color palette from the photo
- Easily tweak the color palette by selecting a color and then clicking the area on the photo
- Option to save to project (for using the paint color visualizer) or add color to shopping list
Glidden Match My Color
- Same interface as PPG (since they are under the same company) but obviously this gives Glidden names/formulas instead.
- Again, easy to use
- No option to save
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Benjamin Moore Color Capture
Get it: Google Play // iTunes
- Easy to use
- Select a photo and generate a color palette
- Save/share options
Looking for paint and color ideas? Visit our Color Files and Paint Palette Library.
See all of the paint color tools we tested here.
Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn't stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.
