Why colors vary
Every color you see on Pigfolio is a guide, not a match. A swatch photo, the color estimated from a paint's pigments, and the paint in your own hands can all look a little different. Here's why, and how to judge a paint for yourself.
Two kinds of color on Pigfolio
- Swatch photos are pictures painters took of the paint itself, brushed out or drawn down. Each one says who took it and when it was added.
- Estimated colors are flat chips worked out from the pigments a paint lists. They show roughly where a paint sits among others, and are never photos. You can hide them in Settings.
Tube or jar photos show the packaging and label, not the color of the paint.
The paint itself changes
- Batch to batch. Pigments are dug, mined or made in batches, and natural earths in particular vary from deposit to deposit. Makers keep batches close, but two batches of the same color can differ slightly.
- Reformulation. Makers change pigments, oils and fillers over the years, sometimes without changing the name. A photo from a few years ago may show an older recipe. Check the pigment codes on your tube's label.
- Wet and dry. Oil paint often looks darker or duller once dry, especially on absorbent grounds (called “sinking in”), and varnish brings the depth back.
- Age. Linseed oil can yellow, especially in the dark, which warms whites and pale colors over time. Some pigments also shift or fade in light; see each paint's lightfastness.
- How thick, and on what. The same paint looks different straight from the tube (masstone), thinned (undertone), mixed with white (tint), or over a colored ground.
The photo changes it too
- Light. Daylight, warm bulbs and cool bulbs each shift colors, and glare on wet paint hides its true color.
- The camera. Phones and cameras adjust white balance, contrast and saturation on their own, and each brand does it differently.
- Processing. Pictures are resized and compressed for the web, which can shift subtle colors. Pigfolio re-encodes uploads to protect contributors' privacy, too.
- When it was taken. A photo shows the paint as it was then: the batch of that time, and how long it had dried.
And so does your screen
Screens differ in brightness, color range and calibration, and settings like night mode and auto-brightness warm or dim colors. The same photo can look different on your phone and your laptop.
How to judge a paint
- Compare pigment codes, not names or pictures. The same code behaves alike across brands; About the data explains how to read them.
- Read painter reviews for handling, tinting strength and how a color mixes.
- Look at several photos where there are some, and notice when each was added.
- Before relying on a color, make your own drawdown: a stroke of paint from thick to thin, plus a tint with white, on the surface you paint on.
Have a good swatch photo, or a photo of the tube or jar? Send it in. A moderator checks every one and credits you by name.