With the rise of digital technologies and augmented reality, trying out different paint colors for your room has never been easier. Nowadays, there are many apps and online tools that allow you to upload a photo of your room and virtually paint the walls to see how different colors would look before committing to actually painting it. This can help save a lot of time and money compared to buying sample pots of paint and painting test sections on your walls. In this article, we’ll look at the different options available for digitally painting your room and the key factors to consider when using these virtual painting tools.
Uploading a Photo of Your Room
The first step for digitally painting your room is to upload a photo. Here are some tips for capturing a good photo to use:
- Take the photo during the daytime when there is plenty of natural light.
- Use the highest resolution camera you have available – at least 8 megapixels.
- Take the photo straight on to the wall you want to paint rather than at an angle.
- Remove any furniture, artwork or other decorations from the walls to be painted.
- Take a few different photos to select the best one later.
For best results, take wide shots of each wall you want to paint showing the whole wall area. You can also take closer photos of certain sections if you want to digitally paint and see specific parts of a wall in more detail.
Apps and Websites for Virtual Painting
There are now many great apps and websites that allow you to upload photos of your room and virtually paint walls. Here are some top options to consider using:
Paint My Place
One of the most popular virtual painting apps is Paint My Place. Key features include:
- Upload your own photos or use demo images.
- Try out paint colors from major brands like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams.
- Paint just parts of walls or whole rooms.
- Adjust brightness of the new paint color.
- Share images of your virtual painted room.
Paint My Place is easy to use even for someone with no experience digitally editing photos. It works on both mobile devices and computers.
ColorSnap Visualizer
Sherwin-Williams offers the ColorSnap Visualizer tool on their website. It lets you:
- Try colors from Sherwin-Williams’ collections.
- Paint entire rooms or just accents like trims.
- Make paint look matte, satin or glossy.
- Virtually paint multiples walls different colors.
You need to create a free account to save your photos. But the virtual painting experience is very realistic with this tool.
Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer
Benjamin Moore also has an online visualizer tool called Personal Color Viewer. Key features:
- Access Benjamin Moore’s huge selection of paint colors.
- Paint whole rooms or smaller sections and trims.
- Adjust sheen levels from flat to high-gloss.
- Save your images online to your account.
Like the Sherwin-Williams tool, this creates a very life-like painting simulation using Benjamin Moore’s own paint palettes.
Home Depot Project Color
At Home Depot’s website, you can use their Project Color tool. Things you can do include:
- Choose from Behr paint colors and other major brands.
- Paint entire rooms or smaller areas.
- Adjust the finish from matte to glossy.
- Share your virtual painted room with others.
This tool is very easy to use and gives you access to many top paint brands’ color options.
Other Apps
There are also several mobile apps for virtually painting your room:
- Color Capture: Take a photo of your room and try paint colors from brands like Sherwin-Williams and Dulux.
- Color House: Uses augmented reality to digitally paint your room withRPS, Dulux, Haymes and other brand colors.
- PaintColor AR: Allows you to paint your room with colors from leading brands, as well as match existing colors.
These apps can be convenient for painting your room on-the-go using just your smartphone camera.
Choosing Colors to Try
Once you’ve uploaded a photo of your room, the next step is to pick some paint colors to try. Here are some tips for choosing colors:
- Select colors that fit the room function, such as soothing colors for a bedroom.
- Coordinate with other colors used in the room, like in furnishings.
- Use the 60-30-10 rule – 60% dominant color, 30% secondary and 10% accent.
- Try lighter colors to make a room feel more open and spacious.
- Use darker, bolder colors for a dramatic, cozy effect.
- Pick grayed down colors for a more sophisticated look.
You can browse the paint brand’s collections by color family or be inspired by photos of their pre-designed color schemes. Save your shortlist of colors to try painting them on the uploaded photo of your room.
Digitally Painting Your Room
When you’re ready to start virtually painting walls, here are some techniques to try:
- Paint the entire wall area first to get an overall sense of the color.
- Do accent walls in a bold color and the others in a more neutral tone.
- Paint the upper and lower halves of a wall different colors for a two-tone look.
- Use darker paint colors below chair rail height and lighter shades above.
- Simulate patterns like stripes or color-blocking on some walls.
- Try painting trim and ceiling colors that complement the wall colors.
Most of the apps and tools allow you to undo and re-paint walls if you don’t like a color. Take advantage of being able to quickly try different options.
Evaluating the Painted Room
Once you’ve virtually painted your room with different colors, examine the results closely to evaluate:
- Which colors look best with your existing furnishings and decor?
- Do the colors make the room look brighter and more spacious?
- Do the wall colors coordinate well with the trim and ceiling colors?
- Does the color scheme create the desired mood – energetic, soothing, elegant?
- Are the colors still working with different virtual lighting conditions – day, night, artificial light?
Use the digital painting experience to narrow down your color selection. Cross out any unappealing colors from your possibility list.
Viewing Painted Rooms on Different Devices
When trying paint colors virtually, it’s a good idea to view the painted room photos on different devices. Colors can look different on:
- Desktop computer screens
- Laptop screens
- Tablets
- Smartphones
Test out your possible paint colors on all your devices’ displays. Make sure the shades still look attractive on the various screens you’ll use to view the actual painted room.
Getting Physical Paint Samples
Once you’ve narrowed down your color selection digitally, the next step is to get physical paint samples. Purchase small samples or paint cards of your top color choices. Paint the samples on sections of the actual wall to see how the colors look in the room’s real lighting and with your existing furnishings. The digital tools are still useful for identifying colors worth sampling physically.
Hiring a Painter
Consider hiring a professional painter if painting your entire room or just a large accent wall. An experienced painter can:
- Prep the walls properly so paint adheres well.
- Use painter’s tape for clean lines if painting patterns.
- Apply the paint smoothly and evenly.
- Handle cutting in around trim and edges.
- Finish walls with a uniform appearance.
- Recommend paint primers and finishes.
- Have the right painting tools for a fast, neat job.
Get a few quotes from highly reviewed painters before selecting one for the job.
DIY Painting Tips
If painting the room yourself, follow these tips for great results:
- Clean walls thoroughly before painting so the paint adheres.
- Sand glossy walls to dull the sheen so paint sticks better.
- Fill any holes or cracks with filler compound and sand smooth.
- Use painter’s tape for clean paint lines around trim and ceilings.
- Consider using an extender roller for wider walls to minimize strokes.
- Maintain a wet edge when painting to prevent lap marks.
- Work in sections starting at a corner and across to trim.
- Use angled brushes to carefully cut in around edges between sections.
Taking time to prep and using proper painting tools will give you a smooth, professional looking painted room.
Conclusion
Uploading photos of your room to digitally paint walls has many great benefits compared to just buying paint samples. You can try out more color options in less time and zero mess. The virtual painting tools make it easy to experiment with colors from leading paint brands before committing. Using the apps and websites to identify your favorites first, getting physical samples of top contenders, and then hiring a good painter or DIY are keys to success. So go ahead, upload that picture of your room and have fun trying different paint colors digitally!
| Virtual Painting Tool | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Paint My Place |
|
| Sherwin-Williams ColorSnap Visualizer |
|
| Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer |
|
| Devices to View Painted Room On |
|---|
| Desktop computer screens |
| Laptop screens |
| Tablets |
| Smartphones |
| Tips for DIY Painting |
|---|
| Clean walls thoroughly before painting |
| Sand glossy walls to dull sheen |
| Fill holes and cracks then sand smooth |
| Use painter’s tape for clean edges |
| Use an extender roller for wide walls |
| Maintain a wet edge when painting |
| Work in sections from corner to trim |
| Use angled brushes for cutting in edges |
