Color Mixing Tools

Color Mixing Tools includes 3 tools:

• 1. Color2Drop (a program to convert RGB, Lab or Munsell HVC color coordinates into paint mixing recipes)

  2. Drop2Color (a program to visualize the color of mixed paint recipes)

  3. RS2Color (a program to visualize the color of reflectance spectra)

Frequently Asked Questions

Current version is: 3.26.56 (2023 January)

If you would like to use my Color Mixing Tools and download the system, please send me an e-mail message, so I can send you the access info. You'll need two files: MCRInstaller.exe and ColorMixingTools.zip. You should download them together, because the version numbers must match. Please note that you are authorized to use the system only according to the Disclaimer below and you are not allowed to put the MATLAB libraries on the internet for any reason. However, please feel free to give the two files to your colleagues or friends, but only for educational purposes.

The current version of the Color Mixing Tools includes more than 25,000 lines of code I've been writing since 2004. It includes 26 paint sets: measured data of 25 paint lines of various brands + 1 ideal set:

• Acrylic Studio Colours by Vallejo (27 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Artists' Oil Colors by Winsor&Newton (62 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Artisan Colors by Winsor&Newton (32 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Conservation Colors by Gamblin (all colors except “Venetian Red” and “Extender White”: 42 colors): ramps, measurements and parameter extraction were done by Marissa Haddock as part of her Master Thesis at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2011.

• Designers Gouache colours by Winsor&Newton (48 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark) Some bases have fluorescent behavior, but fluorescence is not computed in CMT: physically mixed paint can be warmer than mathematically computed recipes.

• EFX500 by E'TAC (all colors: EFX 501-513 (2007) + 12 colors EFX HS (2009)) Some bases have changed number IDs, color and formulation over time: this set can not be mixed correctly anymore!

• Ferrario 1919 by Ferrario (30 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Angelo Paladini, Tarquinia, Italy)

• Finity Acrylic Color by Winsor&Newton (Basic Acrylic Set) (2006)

• Galeria by Winsor&Newton (30 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Georgian Oil Colours by Daler-Rowney (22 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Angelo Paladini, Tarquinia, Italy)

• Grumbacher MAX Water Mixable Oils by Chartpak (45 bases) (2018, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Grumbacher Pre-tested Professional Oils by Chartpak (44 bases) (2018, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Heavy Body Artist Colors by Liquitex (22 bases) (2010, thanks to the ramps created by Michael Petty - Canyon Lake, CA, U.S.A.). The parameters were re-computed in 2012 using a more accurate physical model compared to the 3.6 CMT version.

• Heavy Body Acrylic Colors by Golden (35 bases) (2012, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark). Avoid mixes with Diarylide Yellow, because it is not correctly modelled in this version.

• Matte Fluid Acrylic Colors by Golden (27 bases): samples and measurements were done by Yoshio Okumura as part of his Master Thesis at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2005.

• Norma Professional finest artist’s oil colors by Schmincke (21 bases) (2015, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Angelo Paladini, Tarquinia, Italy)

• Pen Color by Ferrario (all colors) + Badger White + Hansa White (2004)

• Polycolor by Maimeri (white, black and primaries: 018 + 116 + 256 + 400 + 530) (2006)

• Polycolor by Maimeri (32 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Primacryl by Schmincke (32 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Professional Acrylic Colours by Winsor&Newton (60 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Rembrandt Extra-Fine Artists’ Oil Colors by Talens (12 bases) (2012, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Rembrandt Extra-Fine Artists’ Oil Colors by Talens (40 bases) (2019, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• System3 Original Acrylics by Daler-Rowney (29 bases) (2017, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Christian Skeel, Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Van Gogh oil colors by Royal Talens (25 bases) (2016, thanks to the ramps and measurements done by Angelo Paladini, Tarquinia, Italy)

• ideal primaries (2010): this is not a commercial brand and is not based on pigments. It is an ideal opaque paint set with bases having uniform coloring strength over the whole visible spectrum and all the bases have exactly the same strength. This set is useful to check some mixing effects to see if they are due to subtractive mixing alone or to non-linear pigment propriety. For example, white (V=10) mixed with black (V=0) in equal amounts gives a gray with V=5 and uniform spectrum. Each masstone has 0 or 1 reflectance value on the whole visible spectrum.

The system includes also 56 reflectance spectrum databases:

1. Acqua by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone

2. Acrylic Studio Colours by Vallejo easurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

3. Aeroflash by Holbein - measurements done on hand made samples by Holbein, but the paint is not completely opaque (for this reason, the Munsell values calculated by rs2color do not always correspond to the ones reported on the paint labels, even if the error is limited)

4. Amsterdam Oils by Talens - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

5. Artisan by Winsor&Newton - measurements done on masstone

6. Artists' Oils by Winsor&Newton - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

7. Atelier Interactive by Chroma - measurements done on masstone

8. Bizancio Oils by Titan - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

9. Brera by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone

10. Conservation Colors by Gamblin - measurements done on masstone by Marissa Haddock

11. Designers Gouache colours by Winsor&Newton measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

12. Duo Acqua Oil (set of 18) by Holbein - measurements done on masstone

13. Ecoline by Talens - measurements done on semi-transparent samples

14. EFX500 by E'Tac - 25 spectra calculated at maximum saturation when the paint is used transparently

15. EFX500 (buffered) by E'Tac - 25 spectra calculated at maximum saturation when paint is mixed with white #502

16. Ferrario 1919 Oils by Ferrario - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy) in 2017

17. Finity (Acrylic Basic Set) by Winsor&Newton - measurements done on masstone

18. Galeria by Winsor&Newton measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

19. Georgian Oils by Daler-Rowney - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

20. Grumbacher MAX Water Mixablel Oils by Chartpak measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

21. Grumbacher Pre-tested Professional Oils by Chartpak measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

22. Heavy Body Acrylic Colors by Golden - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

23. Heavy Body Artist Colors by Liquitex - 19 spectra calculated at maximum saturation when paint is mixed with white #432

24. J.H. Sanden Pro Mix Colors - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

25. Landscape Paints by Bob Ross - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

26. Open Acrylics by Golden - measurements done on masstone

27. Maimeri Classico Oils by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

28. Maimeri Puro Oils by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

29. Mussini Resin-Oil Colours by Schmincke - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

30. Norma Professional Oils by Schmincke - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

31. Pen Color by Ferrario - measurements done on masstone

32. Polycolor (primaries) by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone in 2007

33. Polycolor by Maimeri - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark) in 2017

34. Primacryl by Schmincke - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

35. Professional Artists’ Acrylic Colors by Winsor&Newton - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

36. Rembrandt Extra-Fine Artists’ Oil Colors by Talens - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

37. System 3 Original Acrylic Colors by Daler-Rowney - measurements done on masstone by Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark)

38. Titan Extra Fine Oils by Titan - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

39. Van Gogh H2Oil (set of 10) by Talens - measurements done on masstone

40. Van Gogh Oil by Talens - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

41. Varnish restoration colors by Divolo - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

42. Winton Oils by Winsor&Newton - measurements done on masstone by Angelo Paladini (Rome, Italy)

43. box shapes - ideal/artificial spectra

44. HLC Colour Atlas XL

45. mini ColorChecker of Gretag MacBeth (now Xrite)

46. Kremer historical pigment database - measurements done by Anna M. Gueli (PH3DRA Laboratory, University of Catania, Italy)

47. “Modern Water Color Pigments” by J. Scott Taylor M. A. – measurements done by Dario Benedetti, Michela Pasquali, Nicola Rodella (Archaeometry Research Centre, University of Brescia, Italy)

48. Munsell Glossy 5B - spectra of all chips of this sector in the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition" (There is a slight color shift of the blues due to a calibration problem of my spectrophotometer)

49. Munsell Glossy 5G - spectra of all chips of this sector in the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition"

50. Munsell Glossy 5P - spectra of all chips of this sector in the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition"

51. Munsell Glossy 5R - spectra of all chips of this sector in the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition"

52. Munsell Glossy 5Y - spectra of all chips of this sector in the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition"

53. Munsell Glossy Neutrals - 9 spectra (N9-N1) at 0 chroma of the "Munsell Book of Color, Glossy Edition"

54. pigments: measurements done on masstone by mixing pigments with acrylic medium and measurements done on samples using mixed paint with 50% titanium white are also included. Commercial paint data is also included.

55. supports/grounds- measurements done on card/paper and canvas

56. whites: measurements done on masstone of various commercially sold whites

Disclaimer:

This software is provided free of charge for educational purpuses ONLY. Selling or renting it is prohibited.

The MathWorks, Inc. Matlab "Software License Agreement", "Academic Installation and Use Addendum" and "Deployment Addendum" apply to the use of this software.

This software is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. Under no circumstances and under no legal theory, whether in tort, contract, or otherwise, shall the Author or the University of Brescia be liable to you or to any other person for any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages of any character including, without limitation, damages for loss of goodwill, work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or for any and all other damages or losses.

If you do not agree with these terms, then you are advised NOT to USE the software.

Any mention of commercial paints in this system is for information only: it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the Author.

This system is based on MATLAB(R). (c) 1984 - 2023 The MathWorks, Inc.

Acknowledgments:

I'd like to thank:

· Michael Petty (Canyon Lake, CA, U.S.A.) for creating the ramps with Liquitex Heavy Body Artist Colors.

· Christian Skeel (Copenhagen, Denmark) for the ramps and measurements of: Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Colors, Talens Rembrandt Extra-Fine Artists’ Oil Colors, Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Colors, Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache colors, Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Colors, Vallejo Acrylic Studio Colours, Winsor & Newton Artisan Colors, Daler-Rowney System 3 Original Acrylic Colors, Maimeri Polycolors, Schmincke Primacryl Colors, Professional Acrylic Colours by Winsor & Newton, Grumbacher Pre-tested Professional Oils by Chartpak and Grumbacher MAX Water Mixable Oils by Chartpak

· Angelo Paladini (Tarquinia, Italy; email: palladany@hotmail.com) for several reflectance spectrum databases and the ramps and measurements of: Schmincke Norma Professional, Talens Van Gogh colors, Daler-Rowney Georgian Oil Colours and Ferrario 1919 Oil Colors.

· Marissa Haddock for the parameters of Gamblin Conservation Colors.

· Yoshio Okumura for the ramps and measurements of Golden Matte Fluid Acrylic Colors.

· Anna M. Gueli (PH3DRA Laboratory, University of Catania, Italy) for the spectra of the Kremer historical pigment database.

· Dario Benedetti, Michela Pasquali, Nicola Rodella (Archaeometry Research Centre, University of Brescia, Italy) for the measurements of the “Modern Water Color Pigments” by J. Scott Taylor M. A.

· Paul Centore (centore@99main.com) for his Open Source “Munsell Conversions” code

A warm thank you to my good friend Erika Bakos for translating these pages!

Web version:

The online version of color2drop, called PaintMaker, on the site Sensual logic was created by Christian Skeel. This version uses the current version of color2drop as a server. Therefore, all bases are available. PaintMaker has also a color picker. The website includes many painting tools and colors extracted from famous masterpieces.

Video Tutorials of the Web version:

More video tutorials: PaintMaker videos

Mobile version:

The mobile version is for iOS, both for iPhone and iPad using iOS 9.0 or later, and has a limited number of paint bases included (White, Black and 6 colored bases). It is called Real Paint mixing tools (RealPaint) and was created by AI4res. This version has a much more precise Munsell coordinate converter (for example close to the gray axis) compared to CMT and also coordinates of many more color spaces. It can load images, has a color picker to select the colors and has an auto-desaturation function to fit the whole image into the color gamut of the selected Paint Set. RealPaint can be set to mix colors using various Mixing Strategies, like "no Black used", "Black and White + 2 colors" and so on. A Lite version and a Pro version are also available now.

Video Tutorials of the Mobile version:

More video tutorials: RealPaint Videos