[SML] Paint mixing app?

[Pat Kight]

Joe D via Stagecraft wrote:
> I volunteer at a community theater, and we often use donated paint.  We also often need to mix colors to get the desired results.  And sometimes we need to recreate a color we mixed earlier, but didn't prepare enough. Both of these are significant challenges. Especially to myself, since I am not primarily an artist.
>
> I searched for Android and iPhone apps, to see if there were any applications that could help us do this mixing by using a phone’s camera to view actual paint samples, and then recommend a mixture to achieve the desired final color. I did find some Android color mixing utilities, but they were either designed to teach color mixing theory, or they only made use of purchased colors, with known pigments. There were also applications that would scan a real-world object, and find its closest Pantone color such as “Color Grab” by  Loomatix. But, there were no applications that combined these two functions.
>
> If no one here has an application to recommend, perhaps someone here would like to take on such a project.
>
> I realize an application like this could not be precise, because different paints have different percentages of pigment.  So, predicting the results of a mix may not be 100% accurate. But, I suspect it would be more accurate that what many people can achieve themselves.
>
> It is also quite possible that the user cannot obtain the final color, using only the colors they have. So, the app might show them how close they can get, and perhaps show a pallet of several variations from what is possible.
>
> A separate idea, if they cannot get the color they want, is to possibly have a virtual library of paint colors that the app would suggest to supplement the users own paints.  It might use the Pantone color system for its virtual paint library, since I think that many manufacturers can provide a comparable color if they are given that number.  This way, the user may be able to purchase just a little more purchased paint to add to their existing paint collection to get the color they want.
>
> A commercial theatrical paint source may also want to do this, since  they can specify their own paint as the recommended purchase if it is needed to obtain the desired color.
>
> Regarding the mix process; the system should permit the user to specify the quantity of paint they want to end up with in any unit, and then the app will say how much they need of each color in the same kind of unit. If the user can also specify how much of each paint they have stored, the app can say how much of the desired color they can create.
>
> While I am dreaming, let me continue the features....
>
> Since metal gallon paint cans, and plastic 5-gallon drums are fairly standard, it should be possible to provide the app the weight, and obtain an estimate of the amount of paint inside.  Also, provide an estimate of coverage... though this is admittedly going to be very approximate.
It's a cool idea, but the challenge is going to be getting a photograph 
that accurately depicts the paint color as it looks, dried - especially 
given the effects of different stage lighting. Even a high-end DSLR will 
have trouble with that, and the quality of the phone camera plus the 
mobile device's display will both affect color readings.

-- 
Pat Kight
kightp at peak.org