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Home The Lab Processes Color Match Tool - Road Map

Color Match Tool - Road Map PDF E-mail
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Saturday, 10 November 2007 07:51

Well, it has finally been officially released and feedback is starting to come in from lots of different people. As a result I felt it appropriate to let people know what I currently have planned for the tool and where those features currently stand. I'll try to update this as features are added and bugs are fixed, so check back from time to time to see how it is coming along.

I also want to offer up some of the ideas I have been kicking around for the 2.0 version of the tool - those are a long way off right now, but still I would like to get an idea of what people like and dislike before I get into the nuts and bolts of making it happen.

Interface
There are going to be some minor and not so minor changes to the interface which I will hopefully be making happen in the near future.
  • Selectable Background Colors
  • Output displayed in a separate pop-up window
  • Dynamic list generation (so you don't have to hit submit to update the search options).
  • A printer friendly version of the full line output will be added
  • Better color representation.  Mainly in regards to metallics, pearls and other fancy paints.  Right now the current plan is to continue to use the current background color, but to also include a photo of a painted sphere that has directional lighting in order to show how light will play on the paint.

Indexing
The color indexing is nearly locked in - however there are a few minor changes.

  • Paint Type will become the type of paint (Acrylic, Enamel, Lacquer, Spray Paints...)
  • Paint Finish will be added. This will be along the lines of Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, Flat
  • Paint Effects will be split from paint type, though it may be combined with Paint Finish. Paint effects are Iridescent, Metallics, Candies, Fluorescents...
  • Standard reference colors added like the FSC and RLM color sets.
  • Official Match Indexing. Lots of companies put out official color conversion lists and charts - however if you compare them to one another, they generally do not match each other. However some people still like to see what the companies say their colors should match up to.

Features
Right now it is possible to do a whole lot of different things with the tool in conjunction with another program like a color picker or photo editing software. Many of those will be able to be handled within the Color Match utility.

  • Shade/Highlight generation. By inputing a variance, the tool will determine what paint colors will work as highlights and shadows for a given base color.
  • Color Theory. Complimentary colors and what not.
  • Paint Line Reviews. Currently when you get a match in the Color Match interface, I have a link to the manufacturers website. Although I do not plan on removing this feature - I do want to add an interim step. From the interface I would like to link to reviews for the specific paint line, and from there have the link to the manufacturer and possibly retailers as well. Currently contemplating ways to create a standard, repeatable set of tests that can be used to compare the paints - Ideas are greatly appreciated here!

Accuracy
Need your help with this one. As I have mentioned before, the tool is accurate for the color samples which I have obtained. However there are variations within those samples, with some of them being quite prominent. If you find this tool useful and want to help, let me know and I will arrange to get samples from you. By increasing the data points, the accuracy for your average bottle of paint becomes better.

If you are a paint manufacturer, I would love to get official samples of the colors. Variations between batches make normal off the shelf bottles a poor choice for getting standard data, however if they are physically matched by you to the standard you use - the end result is much more accurate. I'm sure it would be good for business too.

Color Match 2.0
Currently only in planning stages, though I have been putting together small featurelets to test out various functions. The second itineration of this tool will be much more interactive and almost everything will be updated in real time. The tool will behave much more like a stand alone color picker than the current web form, and it will have a lot of the interactive tools that you find in other color management tools (the visual colorspace for example).

If I can manage to pull it off, I would also like to make it available as a stand alone program. This will allow users to keep it available on their desktop without having to connect to the website.

There you go. I am sure I missed a few things, but let me know what you think.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 November 2007 21:20 )
 
Durable Finishes

When you are painting a miniature that will get a lot of use, be sure to spend extra time on the clear coat varnishes to finish it off. This will prevent chips and wear from showing and save you the hassle of repainting.

The most durable finish is a pure clear coat as opposed to a matte finish. In order to get the best of both worlds do one or two coats with a gloss clear coat and follow it with one or two coats of matte. The gloss will protect the paint job, while the matte finish will help to reduce glare.

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