Use Color with Confidence

Design Confidently, Live Comfortably

Paint chips are a good idea, but they're tiny, and it can be hard to imagine how a 1-inch color square will look on the walls of your 25-foot-long family room.



		Virtual painting On several paint company Web sites, you can select a room, click on a color, and in an instant, see what it will look like in the room. More good news: You can change your mind as often as you like. PHOTOS: WALTER SMALLING

Take heart. Now you can visualize paint colors -- and change your mind many times over -- long before you even lay out your drop cloth. You can do it online (or buy the software) at several paint manufacturers' Web sites. You can even import and colorize actual digital photos of rooms from your own home.

Check out the following sites and click through to begin virtual painting:

Benjamin Moore
www.benjaminmoore.com
Create a "project planner" with photos on the site or purchase the software: $10 to download it or $14.95 for the CD-ROM.

Glidden
www.gliddenpaint.com
Preview and/or purchase software for less than $10 at Glidden retailers.

Kelly Moore
www.kellymoore.com
Download a demo or purchase the professional ($99) or home ($49) version of their software.

NEXT: Create a Mood with Color

BACK: How a Color Wheel Works

	IN THIS ARTICLE:

		Introduction

		Know Your Colors, Know Yourself

		Paint Is a Great Place to Start

		Beyond Paint -- Floors, Furnishings, and More

		How a Color Wheel Works

		See It First, Paint It Later

		Create a Mood with Color

		Resources