Match a color from a photo or a code

What it is

Match a color (the camera button beside Find by feel in the color book) finds the paints closest to a color you show it. It works in the full app and in the free Ultimate Color Book, and it works offline once the book has been opened online.

When to use it

A client wants to match an existing wall, a cabinet, a fabric or a chip from another brand. Or you have a color code (hex like #A89F91, or RGB like 168, 159, 145) and want the paint that makes it.

How to

1. In the color book tap Match a color.
2. Take a photo or Choose a photo of the surface. Fill the frame, in even daylight, no flash.
3. For a truer match, tap Tap something white first and tap a sheet of white paper or white trim in the same photo. That cancels the room's light.
4. Tap the color you want to match. A small patch is averaged, and glare or shadow is left out.
5. Want it tighter? Tap Refine: take another (or choose one) and do the same from a different angle or light. Two to four photos are averaged, and one that disagrees with the rest is left out.
6. Or skip the photo: type the hex or RGB code and tap Match.
7. Tap any result to open it full screen, compare it, or see it on your wall. Brand narrows the list to one brand; Best match in each brand shows every brand's closest.

Reading the numbers

• Match % on every result is how close that paint is to the color that was read. 94% and up looks the same to the eye; around 87% is close; around 75% you would see side by side.
• Confidence % also counts how sure the reading is. A typed code is exact. A photo with no white tap is least sure; a white tap and extra photos that agree raise it.
• Screens and phone cameras both shift color. Treat a photo match as a strong starting point and confirm with a sample or a store scan before ordering.

Which plan

Every plan, and the free Ultimate Color Book.

When it goes wrong

• "Glare on that spot": tap a matte part of the surface or step out of direct light.
• "That spot is very dark": add light or tap a brighter part.
• Low confidence: tap something white first, or add a second photo.
• The photos disagree: retake the odd one in even light; it is left out automatically once you have three.