Color perception

The perception and selection of a car colour is seemingly a piece of cake. We choose the right colour for the car we want to paint and after a short time our eye is pleased by the fresh paint, perfectly matching the rest of the car.

However, some cars change colour when exposed to sunlight. This makes the development of new paint more expensive and time-consuming. Not every colour is suitable for car bodies, as purple shades are particularly sensitive to UV rays and fade faster. That is why every paint has to pass the so-called Florida test, as the USA has extreme weather conditions due to the sun, salty air and heavy rainfall. Only when a vehicle painted with a given paint passes the test, i.e. survives in these conditions for two years without fading, can the paint system be approved for OEM applications.

The basic difficulty is that cars are often repainted and have several different shades. These shades are skilfully masked by so-called ‘shading’, so the correct choice of colour for one part of the car does not guarantee a good effect for the other parts. Another mistake that affects the incorrect assessment of colour is checking the shade indoors (garage, workshop, spray booth). In this case, artificial lighting distorts the perception of colour.

Colour must be assessed in daylight, although too strong sunlight sometimes interferes with this. An alternative solution is to have a lamp that imitates natural lighting. If your wife or girlfriend is standing next to you, she can also help. Seriously, will a woman help with the car?

Well, it has been proven that women see colours better than men. This fact is due to the location of the genes responsible for colour vision. The genes that determine red and green vision are located very close to each other on the X chromosome. As you know, men only have one such chromosome. Any damage to the gene immediately manifests itself in the lack of correct colour recognition. There is no possibility of compensating for the defect through the second X chromosome, as is the case with women. What is more, some women have mutations that result in the production of four instead of three types of photosensitive proteins, which consequently results in the ability to perceive colours better. This is not a uniquely human trait. Most male monkeys have dichromatic vision – they have one X chromosome with one type of opsin. Females, on the other hand, have two X chromosomes and can inherit slightly different opsin genes, resulting in trichromatic vision.