How to Match a Paint Color From a Picture

Last week, we talked about the process of choosing a paint color for a piece of furniture.  You saw the many different blue options for a refinished desk and how I finally landed on the blue that was perfect for that particular desk. (You can see that post HERE.). Today, I want to show you how I searched for color inspiration and the tool I now use to match a paint color from a picture.

Imagine you’re scrolling through Pinterest, Instagram, or a blog post. You see a beautifully painted piece of furniture and think…

“That’s it! That’s the color I’ve been searching for!”

You read through the post and pray the blogger mentioned the name of the color they used. But they didn’t. Or, if they do mention it, the color is from a paint line that isn’t readily available to you.

So what do you do?

Head to the paint store, choose a pile of paint chips, and try to match the color? Possibly. But there’s an easier way…

Download the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer app on your phone which allows you to explore colors and match colors to those in a photo.

Here’s how it works… Take a photo of any room (or screenshot one you see online) and ColorSnap will work its magic. Instantly, you’ll see color matches for up to eight colors in the room. If you’d like to match a different color in the photo, simply drag the color circle around the photo.

You could also use ColorSnap to color match artwork or a wall color in your own home. Just snap a photo and ColorSnap to match it.

Here’s a photo of Thrifty Decor Chick’s living room. I really love the neutral colors she uses throughout her home. She does mention the exact colors she uses on her blog so I know these results are not an exact match, but they are really close.

Remember, the colors you see on screen are not always the colors you see in real life. But it’s the color on-screen that you’re attracted to so a little variation from the actual color is okay.

If a blogger mentions a paint color from the paint line they’re using, but there’s not a local retailer for nearby for that particular paint line, you can color match it to a Sherwin-Williams color using ColorSnap.

Now back to color matching painted furniture. Here’s a photo I found online from Paint It Beautiful and my original inspiration for the desk I mentioned earlier. Isn’t it gorgeous! It’s how I chose the color Languid Blue.

Although I ultimately painted my desk Polo Blue and topped it with black glaze, the final color photographed more like a gray steel. If you liked the photographed color version, then Forged Steel would be a close match.

Hope you enjoy playing with the Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap app.