Paint Color Matcher

How to use the paint color matcher

1. Add a photo of the room, the sofa, the tile or the rug whose color you love, or start with a sample room.
2. Tap the spot. Pick a flat, evenly lit patch, not a highlight or a shadow. The color’s name, code and details appear at once.
3. Check the photo’s main colors under the picture: the matcher pulls out the colors the photo is mostly made of. Tap one to see it.
4. Collect a few. Every color you pick is kept under Your picks, so you can compare a shortlist. Have a code already? Type it in.
5. Try it on your walls: the button opens the room paint visualizer with that color ready to paint on a photo of your room.

How the matcher reads a color

Why it averages a patch

A single pixel of a photo is noisy: a speck of light, a shadow in the grain, a compression artifact. The matcher takes a small disc around your tap, leaves out its brightest and darkest fifth, and averages the rest. That is the color the surface really has in that photo.

The name, the code and the LRV

The name comes from the color’s lightness, how colorful it is, and its hue, measured in CIELAB, the color space built to match how people see color. The hex code (like #A9B59B) is the exact color on screen. LRV, light reflectance value, is the share of light the color reflects, from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white): 55 or more keeps a room bright, 20–54 reads as a clear color, under 20 is dark and cozy.

How close is close: ΔE

The matcher measures how far one color is from another with CIEDE2000 (ΔE), the color-difference formula the paint and print industries use. It is how it finds the closest color on our swatch board.

Popular paint colors by name and code

What the matcher says about some of the colors rooms are painted in now:

Getting the exact paint

A photo is a very good start and a poor last word: cameras and screens shift colors, and the light in the photo colors everything in it. To buy the paint, take the code as a starting point and bring a physical sample (a chip of paint, a cushion, a tile) to the paint counter: stores read a sample with a spectrophotometer and mix to it. Then paint a large test patch on the wall before you commit.

This tool does not list paint makers’ own colors: their color lists are theirs, and we only ship what we are allowed to. It names the color and gives you its code, which is what you need to compare, and to find it in a brand’s fan deck or color tool.

Three worked examples

Green kitchen cabinets. In the sample kitchen, a tap on the island’s door reads as olive. The cabinets are a sage green, but in the shade under the counter the photo shows them darker and yellower than their paint, and the matcher names what the photo shows. That is the lesson of every photo match: tap a lit patch, compare a few spots, and let a real sample decide.

A wall color from a photo you love. Upload the photo, tap a flat, evenly lit part of the wall away from lamps and windows, and add two or three picks from different spots. If they come out as the same name with close codes, you have the wall color; if one is much darker, it was in shadow.

A color code you already have. Type #C0704F and the matcher reads it as terracotta, a warm mid-tone with an LRV of 23: a color that holds its own in a room without making it dark.

Common mistakes when matching paint from a photo

• Tapping a highlight or a shadow. Both are the light, not the paint. Tap a flat, evenly lit patch and compare two or three spots.
• Trusting a photo taken under yellow bulbs. Warm light makes every color warmer. Daylight, away from direct sun, gives the truest read.
• Matching from a filtered photo. Social media filters shift color on purpose. Use the original photo when you can.
• Skipping the test patch. Paint the real sample large, on two walls, and look at it in the morning and at night before buying gallons.

Read next

• Greige paint colors that settle the warm versus cool debate
• Warm neutral paint colors that never read cold
• Living room paint color ideas
• Paint colors that make a room cozy
• Light sage green bedroom ideas

Paint color matching questions

How can I match a paint color from a picture?

Upload the picture to the matcher above and tap a flat, evenly lit patch of the color. It averages a small area, names the color and gives its code, LRV and undertone. Use that to shortlist, and bring a physical sample to the paint store for an exact mix.

What color is this paint?

Tap it in a photo and the matcher names it in plain words, like “sage green”, “greige” or “navy”, from its lightness, colorfulness and hue in CIELAB, and gives the exact color code. Compare two or three spots, since light and shadow change what one spot shows.

Can a photo match paint exactly?

Not exactly. Cameras, screens and the light in the room all shift colors, so a photo gets you close, not identical. It is the quickest way to find the right family and shade; for the exact paint, a store can read a physical sample with a spectrophotometer.

Is this a Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore color match?

No. Paint makers’ color lists belong to them, so this tool does not include them. It gives you the color’s name and code, which you can take to any brand’s fan deck, color tool or paint counter to find their nearest shade.

How do I turn a hex code into a paint color?

Type the code into the matcher to see what the color is: its name, how light it is (LRV) and whether it runs warm or cool. Then try it on a photo of your room with the paint visualizer, and use the code to find the nearest paint in a brand’s range.

What does LRV mean on a paint color?

Light reflectance value: the share of light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for a perfect white. Colors of 55 or more keep a room bright, 20 to 54 read as a clear color, and under 20 make a room darker and cozier.

Is the photo uploaded anywhere?

No. The photo is opened in your own browser and read there; it is never sent to a server and nothing is stored after you close the page. That is also why the matcher is free to use as often as you like.