Match a Paint Color From a Photo
A photo can give you a starting color code, but not an exact paint match. Pick the color below to get a HEX code, use it to shortlist paints, then always confirm with a real paint sample on the wall in your own light. Screens, cameras and lighting all shift how a color looks.
Get a starting color from your photo
The color picker needs JavaScript. Below is the sample image; the text on this page explains every format and formula.
Or drag an image onto the box, or paste one with Ctrl+V (⌘+V on a Mac). Picking from anywhere on your screen works in Chrome and Edge on a computer.
Your image stays on this device. It is never uploaded.
- HEX
– - RGB
– - HSL
– - CMYK
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CMYK is approximate. For print, use your printer’s color profile.
Click or tap a point in the image to see its color codes here.
Recent colors
Colors you pick appear here. They are saved only in this browser.
Step by step
- Photograph the color in daylight, without flash, with a sheet of white paper next to it.
- Open the photo below, choose sample size 5×5 and click a flat, evenly lit part of the color.
- Use the HEX code to shortlist three to five paints that look close on the paint brand’s site.
- Buy samples, paint large test patches on the wall and look at them in morning, midday and evening light.
- Choose the sample that matches in your room, not the one that matches on screen.
What a photo can tell you
A photo is good at the color family and the relationship between colors: whether a wall is a warm gray or a cool gray, whether a green leans toward yellow or blue, and how light it is compared with the trim next to it. That is often enough to rule out most of a paint chart and find a handful of candidates.
What a photo cannot tell you
- Light changes everything. The same wall photographed at noon, at sunset and under a warm bulb gives three different codes. None of them is the paint’s "true" color.
- Cameras adjust colors. Phones balance white, lift shadows and boost saturation automatically, differently from model to model.
- Screens differ. Brightness, color settings and night modes change how the code looks to you, even if the code itself is the same.
- Sheen and texture matter. Matte, eggshell and gloss versions of the same paint reflect light differently.
- Large areas look different. A color covering a whole wall usually looks lighter and stronger than the same color on a small chip.
A white paper check
Put a plain sheet of white printer paper next to the color when you take the photo. Then click the paper in the picker. If it is far from neutral, for example the RGB values differ a lot from each other, the photo has a color cast, and the picked paint color has the same cast. Retake the photo in better light rather than trusting the code.
Confirm with a sample
Paint samples are the only reliable test. Paint patches at least the size of a sheet of paper, ideally on more than one wall, and look at them over a full day. For an exact match to an existing paint, bring a physical piece of it to a paint store; many stores can measure it with a color scanner. For cars, use the manufacturer’s paint code instead of a photo.
Frequently asked questions
Can I match paint from a photo?
You can get close, but not exactly. A photo gives a starting color code that helps you choose a few candidate paints. The final choice should always be made with real paint samples on your wall, in your own light.
Why does the paint never look like the photo?
The photo recorded the light in that moment, processed by the camera, and your screen shows it with its own brightness and color settings. Paint is seen in your room’s light, across a large surface, which usually makes it look lighter and stronger than a small chip.
What is the most reliable way to match an existing paint?
Bring a physical piece of the painted surface, such as a loose chip or a painted part, to a paint store. Many stores can measure it with a color scanner and mix a match. Check it with a test patch before painting a whole wall.
How do I match car paint?
Do not use a photo for car paint. Cars have a paint code from the manufacturer, usually on a label in the door frame, under the hood or in the trunk. A car paint supplier mixes from that code, and the color is then adjusted for fading.
Which photo settings give the best starting color?
Daylight from a window, no flash, no filters, and a white sheet of paper in the frame. If the paper looks yellow or blue in the photo, the whole photo has that tint, and so does the picked color.
Can I use the hex code in a paint store app?
Many paint brands have apps or websites where you can enter a color code or pick from a photo to see similar colors in their range. Treat those suggestions as a shortlist to test with samples.
Last updated: October 15, 2026