color

[glorybound]

Howdy-

A little color theory question. I have a job and when I sample the siding of a photo I am getting a blue/gray. The sky is really blue and the wood siding is really glossy so we obviously will have blue. The architect refuses to believe me when I say that the siding has a blue tint and he said he isn't seeing blue on the photo I am sampling. Is this an optical illusion? How do you explain this phenomenon to people? The siding is supposed to be taupe.

[joconnell]

Show them - get yourself three grey squares of paper. Then get three pieces of paper that are twice as big, one blue, one red, one white or black - stick the grey pieces on top in the centre of each bigger piece of paper and ask which is the warmest grey. If you want you can also do this in photoshop. The grey values get tinted or influenced by the colours they sit against and we perceive the grey as being warmer when put over a cold colour and likewise colder when sat over a warm colour. The context that you see a colour in changes things quite a bit and in the real world, humans have an in built colour balance. If something is actually getting tinted by blue sky light filling in shadowy areas, or white getting hit by warm sunlight, we correct it to white since we know that's what it's supposed to be.

Third image down shows it! http://chiseledrocks.com/main/musing...s/thecolorgray

[glorybound]

great reply and article, thanks. The natural ability for the eye to do a white balance is fascinating!