Abstract: A computer system for comparing complex coating mixtures with sparkle color can receive at least one image of a target coating. The computer system calculates a sparkle color distribution of the at least one image of the target coating, wherein the sparkle color distribution represents a relative number of sparkle points of one color compared to a number of sparkle points of one or more other colors in a measured area. Further, the computer system searches a database for a plurality of reference coatings with sparkle color distributions that match the sparkle color distribution of the target coating, wherein each reference coating in the plurality has a different sparkle color distribution. The computer system calculates a degree to which the plurality of reference coatings matches the target coating based on sparkle color distribution. Finally, the computer system identifies a closest matching reference coating from the plurality of reference coatings.

Abstract: A computer system for mapping coatings to a spatial appearance space may receive coating spatial appearance variables of a target coating from a coating-measurement instrument. The computer system may generate spatial appearance space coordinates for the target coating by mapping each of the coating spatial appearance variables to an individual axis of a multidimensional coordinate system. The computer system may identify particular spatial appearance space coordinates from the identified spatial appearance space coordinates associated with the potentially matching reference coatings that are associated with a smallest spatial-appearance-space distance from the spatial appearance space coordinates of the target coating. Further, the computer system may display a visual interface element indicating a particular reference coating that is associated with the particular spatial appearance space coordinates as a proposed spatial appearance match to the target coating.