Car color change - Original Color

[IamSam]

OK................I'm a bit lost here so I need some help.

In a free edit request there was a request for a car color change. The OP wanted the specific color of #b22017 or R:178 G:32 B:23. His claim was that the hex color of #b22017 was darker in the original color of the car. I assume he means darker than the color is as it appears in his sample image.

Here is a comparative shot between the the sample car color, Chris's color change, and the #b22017 color swatch. Neither of which come close the the "lighter" color swatch!
Click to enlarge!


We can clearly see that the swatch is much lighter than the sample color and Chris's color change!
Using the info panel, I can not sample anywhere on "Chris's color change edit" the color of #b22017 or R:178 G:32 B:23.

The OP really liked the color change so I must be missing something terribly obvious here and I really and genuinely would like to know what that may be!

@chrisdesign - Please help me out here! Or anyone who might can explain what I'm missing.

 

[[ iLLuSioN ]]

I made the same observation...the current shade IS already darker than the desired one.
That's why I didn't post a draft change.

What surprises me is the color specification as a hex color. Even in Canada, colors are given as either RAL or manufacturer specific paint code, aren't they?
So where does this color specification come from?

 

[chrisdesign]

I used a converter found with google to get the RGB Color. I realized like Sam and illusion that the color sample was lighter than the posted car image.

Maybe I misinterpreted the OP's words and made it darker. I actually had a version with the exact color like the sample. It just looked ridiculously out of place.
Then I looked closer at the lighting situation of the car foto. The car shot was taken on a overcasted or cloudy day. With no real shadows. Just softer and darker closer to the ground.
So from my point of view I guessed that the red color sample would look ok in sunlight but has to be darker in the shade, considering the mood of the photographed car.

My decision or Interpretation is also based on 25 years of professional work and experience with Photoshop in printing business.

The OP was happy with my color change .
Sam, I would be glad if you would try and show your own version here. This would be interesting for me and every forum member.
I'm always open to learn from others if I have the opportunity.

 

[JeffK]

Jusst as an aside, from what I could find, the hex color #b22017 is a General Motors (GM) Matador Red. The AMC Hornet was not a GM car so I don't know how the OP nailed down that hex code. I did further searches for the red AMC Hornet and alhtough I found several red colors the car came in, none matched the hex code the OP posted.

GM / General Motors Matador Red / #b22017 Hex Color Code

Color schemes, paints, palettes, combinations, gradients and color space conversions for the #b22017 hex color code.

encycolorpedia.com

 

[IamSam]

Then I looked closer at the lighting situation of the car foto. The car shot was taken on a overcasted or cloudy day. With no real shadows. Just softer and darker closer to the ground.
So from my point of view I guessed that the red color sample would look ok in sunlight but has to be darker in the shade, considering the mood of the photographed car.

I understand. However, if done properly via the usual color change methods used for "exact" specified color changes, the overall mood or shading/shadowing and lighting/luminosity should have remained the same with the new color. This is where I find my confusion.

I actually had a version with the exact color like the sample.

Please, I would love to see this if you still have it!

My decision or Interpretation is also based on 25 years of professional work and experience with Photoshop in printing business.

Yes my friend, and I highly respect your opinions and experience! Always have for a very long time now!!

The OP was happy with my color change .

Yes he was! I mentioned that in my first post. That's why I was even more confused! In your version/edit, the color of the original example was not really changed to his stated hex color.

In sampling (info panel), there were only a few areas on your version that even came close to matching the shading possibilities of that hex color. And nowhere was there an actual match for the actual chosen color #b22017 or R:178 G:32 B:23.
(Checking was fairly painstaking, I had to manually write down all the RGB decimal equivalents of each shade for comparison!)

Sam, I would be glad if you would try and show your own version here. This would be interesting for me and every forum member.
I'm always open to learn from others if I have the opportunity.

Well, like you and the reason I asked this question, is because I'm always open to learn! No matter how much experience I myself have acquired, I always find new things to learn!

However, I've come to realize that you may not be the person who can really answer my inquiry! You made an excellent educated guess (which you explained above) that seemed to please the OP...............and that's all that really matters in the free edit forum. But since the change was not the exact color the OP specified, that OP may be the only person who can answer my questions here!

This may be a matter of my OCD getting the better of me!!! Maybe I should just move on! LOL!!
Sometimes I need to accept the outcome for what it's worth and don't try to rationalize it!

 

[chrisdesign]

Thank you Sam so much for your "explanation".
Here is my first version. No good at all.

 

[IamSam]

Thanks Chris!!! While you don't think it looks good, at least it's true to the OP's desired hex color! (Sorry)

What blending mode did you use?

Would a curves adjustment restore the contrast you were looking for? Used in conjunction with a layer mask to bring back highlights?

Curves applied. Of course I don't have the car isolated/selected, which is why whole image is darkened.


Some masking......

 

[chrisdesign]

I just worked with Hue/Saturation and Color Correction. No selection at all.

You can try your own version with your suggested methods, though I'm not convinced that it would look "natural".

Thanks Sam for your input. I really appreciate it. But for me it's a good time to move on.

 

[thebestcpu]

Had a few minutes so thought I would through in my thoughts as well @IamSam about what the OP was requesting.

Just so we are all on the same page the HEX numbers just represent in HEX the RGB values applied with the assumption that the color space is sRGB (not important for this discussion).

A given HEX number (aka a given RGB tuple) is a specific Hue, specific Saturation, and Specific Brightness/Value in the HSB/HSV color system.

So the OP is not requesting the whole image to be in a single color as that would be just an outline of the red portions of the car color in a single color with no Brightness variation as in a comic book.

Also, how a given HEX color appears depends a lot on the environment of illuminating light, surrounding colors, and whatever post processing was done. No different from a color checker color chip which. We have no reference point in the image to match with the requested color.

Most of the time, when I hear someone wants a match to a given HEX number is matching just the Hue of that Hex number not necessarily the Saturation and Brightness over the whole selected area.

The only hint that was given was the "shade" was referred to which means keeping a specific Hue and adjusting the black content (in Photoshop this is the same as having a black under Layer and adjusting the transparency). This process changes the Brightness/Value while keeping the Saturation constant in the HSB/HSV system.

In the case of the OP, I am pretty sure they are referring to just the Hue as I demonstrate below.

First I will take you example @IamSam and extract out the Hue, Saturation, and Brightness/Value separately below.

As you see the Hue is constant and so is the Saturation with only the Brightness/Value changing as was your intent:



However, in the case of the OPs image, the starting point has a pretty decent constant Hue (not completely though) only about 5 degrees difference in Hue value from the original image to the desired color of the HEX number (hard to tell the difference), yet the Saturation is far from constant across the Red areas of the image. My conclusion is that they just want a reduced Brightness Red and "maybe" a slight shift in Hue from Red (2 degrees towards magenta) to a red just 3 degrees towards yellow.



So I think the real issue is taking the request of the OP too literally of making the new color equal the specific HEX value.

Just my quick thoughts and not sure it will help with any OCDness
John Wheeler