Scanning Colors
Use your phone's camera to capture any colour from the real world and find matching paints.
Opening the Camera
Tap the Snap Color button (teal) on the home screen, or tap the camera floating action button from within a palette.
Camera Permissions
The first time you open the camera, your device will request permission:
- iOS A system dialog appears: "Mixura needs camera access to scan colors from real-world objects and find matching paint colors." Tap Allow.
- Android A runtime permission dialog appears. Tap Allow or While using the app.
If you accidentally deny camera access, go to your device's Settings > Apps > Mixura > Permissions and enable Camera.
Camera Interface
The camera screen shows a full-screen live preview with the following elements:
- Crosshair -- A white circle with a centre dot in the middle of the screen. Position this over the colour you want to capture.
- Back button -- Top-left corner. Returns to the previous screen.
- Flash toggle -- Top-right corner. Tap to toggle the flash/torch on or off. The icon turns yellow when active.
- Instruction badge -- A semi-transparent label reading "Centre the colour in the circle".
- Capture button -- Large teal circular button at the bottom with a camera icon.
Capturing a Colour
- Position the crosshair Hold your phone steady and centre the crosshair over the colour you want to scan. The colour should fill most of the circle.
- Tap the capture button Press the large white button at the bottom of the screen.
- Haptic feedback You'll feel a medium vibration confirming the capture has started.
- Colour preview A brief colour preview appears showing the captured colour with a checkmark, followed by a light vibration confirming success.
- View results You're automatically taken to the Match Results screen showing paint matches for your scanned colour.
How Colour Capture Works
Mixura doesn't just sample a single pixel. It captures a 5×5 pixel area around the centre point and averages the values. This reduces noise from individual pixels and gives you a more accurate colour reading.
The captured RGB values are converted to the LAB colour space (a perceptually uniform model) for matching against the paint database using the industry-standard Delta E 2000 algorithm.
Using the Flash
Tap the flash icon in the top-right corner to toggle torch mode. This is helpful when:
- Scanning in dimly lit environments
- Reducing colour cast from ambient lighting
- Getting a consistent reading from textured surfaces
For the most accurate results, use the flash consistently or scan in bright, neutral daylight. Warm indoor lighting can shift colour readings toward yellow/orange.
Lighting Warnings
Mixura analyses the captured image and may display warnings if lighting conditions could affect accuracy:
| Warning | Meaning | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Too dark | Image is underexposed | Move to brighter light or enable flash |
| Too bright | Image is overexposed | Reduce light or angle away from direct light |
| Possible glare | Specular reflection detected | Tilt your phone slightly to avoid reflection |
| Uneven lighting | Mixed light across the sample area | Ensure even illumination on the surface |
These warnings appear as orange badges and do not prevent capture — you can still proceed, but results may be less accurate.
Feature Tips
On your first visit to the camera screen, guided tooltips appear highlighting the crosshair, flash toggle, and capture button. These tips help new users understand the interface quickly.
Tips for Accurate Scans
- Hold steady — Keep your phone still for about 1 second during capture
- Even lighting — Avoid shadows falling across the target area
- Fill the circle — The colour should cover most of the crosshair area
- Neutral background — Surrounding colours can influence perception (but not the scan itself)
- Clean surface — Dust, gloss, or texture can affect readings
- Distance — Hold your phone 10-20 cm from the surface for best results