How do I find out what Pantone value a specific colour in Xara is?

Steve hit the nail on the head. There are so many factors in a room with painted walls that can affect the color. It becomes more a matter of is the color in the ballpark. Unless you are specifically matching the color to something that is there in the room to compare, it's a non-issue.

indeed

which begs the question, how was the CMYK/RGB/HSV spec determined ? - if you arrived at this chioce by looking at colour on a screen, good luck with matching it exactly to a paint; a photograph is certainly going to be subject to lighting conditions when taken, so ditto

if it's a match the only 'safe' way I know [other than being told by whoever did the original], as keith suggested is to get samples, and paint them so you can physically compare them under your normal lighting conditions; even then to be 'precise' you need to be able to paint on the prepared surface that the new paint is intended for, another surface will tend to be subtly different; and just to hammer the point home, a couple of square inches is only going to give you an idea because once you paint the whole wall the room light reflections will have changed

I wouldn't sweat it to the nth degree; the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of interior design is in the effect when it is finished; you might even find that having matched the colour exactly it still does not look right because it is in a different place and therefore reflecting light differently and a little variation might have balanced the effect better

and it's worth mentioning that even if you are not matching colour; you won't really know what it will look like until you've done it, unless you are an expert in these matters

I come from an artistic background; whilst I understand paint and additive and subtactive colour, I would still leave interior design to the professionaly trained eye, it's a different ballgame

if you are now saying - but it's only a DIY job I don't need to bother with all that, then ok, down to the paint shop and get some samples as suggested

after all you are only going to be able to get what they sell, diluted mixed whatever; if they are any good they will give advice on colour matching and which shades to start with; for that a print/photo may be ok, a specialist paint supplier should be used to it

You're over-analysing this.

Do what everyone else does..

1) Buy some tester paints and put them on the wall and choose the one you like, or..
2) Find the colour you like and print it on your printer. If the printed version doesn't match the screen colour, change the screen colour until the printed colour is the one you want. You could even use transparency and create a grid of variants - that should nail it in one go. With the printed colour go to a paint shop (homebase is an example) and they can scan it and produce a match to that paint.


As I sit here looking at the wall it has a distinct yellow feel to it but it is in fact magnolia (whatever that is). At other times it will look quite white, much paler than at this moment. In the evening our lighting will make it change colour again. In fact the colour I see close to the ceiling is not the same colour that I see near to the floor. All of the walls have the same paint but the perceived colour is subtly different on all of them.

The colours we perceive change according to the colours, lighting and shadows that are also present.

Two weeks ago I painted a side-gate to our house. It looked nothing like the colour on the tin - much darker. Now it has lightened and is much closer to the tin colour and I'm very pleased with it.

Don't be so fussy!

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Originally Posted by Acorn

They all look Magnolia in the end. Acorn

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Originally Posted by pauland

As I sit here looking at the wall it has a distinct yellow feel to it but it is in fact magnolia (whatever that is).

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Objective proof!

Acorn ;)

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Originally Posted by pauland

You're over-analysing this.

As I sit here looking at the wall it has a distinct yellow feel to it but it is in fact magnolia (whatever that is). At other times it will look quite white, much paler than at this moment. In the evening our lighting will make it change colour again. In fact the colour I see close to the ceiling is not the same colour that I see near to the floor. All of the walls have the same paint but the perceived colour is subtly different on all of them.

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my point exactly... of course it's possible that this for a room with no windows and static lighting [basement?] but if, like me you have windows that the sun transverses through the day you will sure get the effect paul describes

magnolia is a builders term for 'the shade you get when you only have so much paint allocated and you have to dilute it to get the job done' ;)