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Investigating Black Widow Clones  

post #1 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 
Introduction

The purpose of this investigation is simply to compare several versions (clones) of the Black Widow DIY screen paint mix, to a commonly available reference gray paint. The focus will be on the Black Widow (AAA) that is made up of a 4:1 ratio of latex paint tinted PPG The Voice of Color "Bermuda Beige" 427-2 and Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine". A total of 8 clones will be included in these comparisons.

The purpose of this investigation is NOT to prove or disprove any of the claims being made by either the developers of the Black Widow mixes or the adopters who have implemented a Black Widow screen for their personal use. This investigation will be a balanced fair assessment of the performance of this aluminum based mix as compared to a simple near neutral gray wall paint with a matte finish. Every reasonable attempt has been made to either control or accurately characterize the environment in which these comparisons will be performed.

There will be two forms of comparison presented in this investigation. The first is carefully setup visual comparisons. It was impossible to create exact symmetry in the projected test images therefore each BW Clone will be compared to the Reference Gray in both the left and right positions. These are the least technical comparisons and only require the reader to look at the photographs and come to their own conclusions.

The second type of comparison will be done through the use of an image RGB sampler application. In this case I used the free application ColorPic. This is a very easy to use tool that does not require that images be down loaded or opened in a photo editor. It simply displays the RGB values that are under the cursor.

While great care was taken to ensure each sample panel was exposed to the same projected image there are some variables beyond control in my particular environment. The ideal environment would be a room with all flat black surfaces and a very high quality projector with zero variation in the projected light across the entire screen. This of course is not the environment that I have at my disposal. Therefore some steps have been taken to characterize the light variances and to compensate for them. This sort of variance or offset measurement and correction is only possible for ColorPic RGB samplings of the photographic data acquired during the comparisons. Please note that these are only the RGB values present in the image data. These RGB values do not represent RGB Color data for the screen surface in the image. This sort of RGB sampling is only useful for augmenting the visual assessment and is only useful for comparative measurements.

The Clones
Black Widow (AAA) Behr 1050
Behr Premium Plus
Interior Flat - Ultra Pure White - #1050
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
To Be Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) Behr 4850
Behr Premium Plus ULTRA
Exterior Flat - Ultra Pure White - #4850
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
Some water was added, no more than 4oz/quart.
 Black Widow (AAA) BenMoore
Benjamin Moore Collection
Interior 100% Acrylic Flat Enamel
Pastel Base #F602 1B
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
To Be Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) CIL-Matte
C-I-L Smart3 Wash & Wear
100% Acrylic Interior Paint
Ultra Matte - #88100 - Brilliant White
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
Some water was added, no more than 4oz/quart.
 Black Widow (AAA) Olympic
Olympic Flat
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance Flat
Interior Latex - Pastel Base - #9-110
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
To Be Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) SICO
SICO Flat Acrylic Latex
Interior - Natural White - #171-14
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
To Be Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat
Valspar Ultra Premium "Flat"
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat Enamel
Valspar Ultra Premium "Flat Enamel"
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
Mixed (4:1) with Auto-Air Aluminum Base "Fine"
 Black Widow (BJA) Behr 1050
Behr Premium Plus
Interior Flat - Ultra Pure White - #1050
Tinted: PPG Bermuda beige (427-2)
To Be Mixed (4:1) with Black Jack Aluminum Paint
 The sample panels were prepared by applying 2 coats of Kilz2 to the sample panel followed by 2 coats of the BW-AAA mix. There were two exceptions to this. The BW-AAA-Behr4850 and the BW-AAA-CIL-Matte were prepared with a small amount of water and applied over one coat of generic white primer. Index:
- Room Setup

- Light Metering

- Consideration Of Projector Calibration

- Uniformity Of Ambient Lighting

- Uniformity Of Projected Light

- Applying Offsets to Whites & Blacks

- Selecting A Reference Gray

- Projector Calibration

- Closer Look
- Surface Texture

- Aluminum Flakes

- Pixel Grid

- 200x Microscopic View

- 60x Micropscopic View
 - Comparison Source Images

- Visual Comparisons
- BW-AAA-Behr1050

- BW-AAA-Behr4850

- BW-AAA-BenMoore

- BW-AAA-CIL-Matte

- BW-AAA-Olympic

- BW-AAA-Pittsburgh

- BW-AAA-SICO

- BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat

- BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat-Enamel

- BW-BJA-Behr1050 (Black Jack Aluminum Paint)

- BW-AAA-Valspar-Duramax-Flat
 - Closer Look At BW-AAA-Valspar-Flat-Enamel
- Surface Texture

- Density of Exposed Aluminum Flakes

- Aluminum Flakes & Pixels

- 60x Microscopic View

- 200x Microscopic View
 - Flesh Tone Evaluations

- Ambient Light Performance

- Shadow Detail Evaluations
 - Comparisons To Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat Enamel
- Valspar Flat Enamel Tinted "Veil"

- Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat

- Black Widow (Black Jack Aluminum) Valspar Flat Enamel

- Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Exterior Duramax Flat

- Black Widow (AAA) Behr #4850 Exterior ULTRA Flat

- CIL DULUX Exterior Stucco, Masonry, & Siding, Flat Tinted "Veil"

- CIL DULUX Exterior Stucco, Masonry, & Siding, Flat Tinted "Veil" ~vs~ Black Widow (AAA) Valspar Flat
 - Conclusions

Appendix
- Water Dilution Experiment - BW-BJA-Olympic-Flat
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post #2 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:40pm
Thread Starter 
Room Setup

The room is far from ideal for this sort of testing. The ceiling and walls are white. There is no wall on the left of the screen and a white wall on the right. My screen is a 115" 16:9 retractable screen. The sample panels are suspended by wire hooks from the screen valance. The projector is an Optoma HD72. It is mounted 14' 3" from the screen.


Light Metering

Some preliminary experiments indicated that the light from the projector may not be uniform. It was apparent that there was an uneven distribution of ambient light as well. In order to determine what the light variations were I constructed a very simple light meter from a solar cell and a volt meter.


Click images to enlarge.

DIY Light Meter Calibration Setup

Click images to enlarge.

In order to calibrate this DIY Light Meter to something more meaningful than voltages, I setup a series of slides that varied in brightness from 255 255 255 down 0 0 0. From 255 - 230 the steps were 5 and then in steps of 10. The resulting plot was quite linear from 255 down 60. In most cases we will be interested in measuring the light distribution for intensities higher than 60.


Click images to enlarge.

For each of the ambient light conditions, I performed a second order curve fit to derive the calibration constants.. The resulting coefficients can be used for converting the DIY Light Meter readings into RGB values. This is only valid for my situation and only with the current projector calibration. If anything changes, including the ambient light bulbs, then I would have to perform a new calibration.

Using the DIY Light Meter and the calibration constants shown above, it was possible to determine the amount of variation there was in the light being projected as well as the uniformity of the ambient light. This was then converted to offsets that could be applied for various regions of the sample panels. By applying these offsets to the sampled photographic data we can correct the data and determine exactly how the sample panels reflect light from various regions of their surfaces as well as more accurately compare the sample panels.


Click images to enlarge.

Click here to view all the calibration plots and sample panel offset tables.

Now that I have characterized the variations in the light fields in the region of the sample panels, it will be possible to subtract the offsets from sampled RGB values of the various regions of the sample panels. The appropriate offsets will have to be used to fit the situation. For example if sampling the black and white bar image that was taken when the 15 watt ambient light bulb was applied, you would use the offsets from the White Field - 15 Watt Ambient Light table for the white bars. The black bars would require that you use the Black Field Offsets - 15 Watt Ambient light.

Since the offsets are colorless values I propose taking the average of the three RGB values and applying the offset to that. This may seem like a big leap but it is only valid for black and white light. Therefore there should be no color and the RGB values should be the same. Obviously this would not work for a colorful image. That would require a much more complicated calibration process. Since the goal here is only to determine if one panel is blacker or whiter than the other, we will keep things simple and stick to assuming no significant color component in our ColorPic measurements.


Consideration Of Projector Calibration

The projector was calibrated using the basic brightness and contrast Pluge images. The Lamp was set to "Bright Mode" and the sRGB projector mode was selected and calibrated to the Reference Gray. The reference gray is close to the same shade of gray of the Black Widow (AAA) panels. The various light meter measurements were then taken with the projector setup in this mode. Due to the DIY Meter Calibration and intention to correct images for discontinuity in the projected and ambient light fields, this calibration setup must remain constant throughout all the comparison testing.

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post #3 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:44pm
Thread Starter 
Uniformity of Ambient Lighting

Using the room lamps as ambient light sources was not satisfactory. The distribution was uneven across the screen. In an attempt to make this more uniform and also easy for anyone else to duplicate, a light fixture was was suspended approximately 1.5' bellow the projector. To provide two levels of ambient light a 15 watt (115 lumen) and a 25 watt (235 lumen) bulb will be employed. These bulbs are Philips Long Life bulbs that should be commonly available in North America.



Using the DIY Light Meter the ambient light was measured at several locations over the area where the two sample panels will hang.

Measured Ambient Light (RGB) - 15 Watt Bulb


Measured Ambient Light (RGB) - 25 Watt Bulb

Click images to enlarge.

You can see from the visualizations of the ambient light that it is fairly uniform with a rise to the right. I suspect that rise is due to the white wall on the right hand side of the screen.

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post #4 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:49pm
Thread Starter 
Uniformity Of Projected White Light

The DIY Light Meter was also used to measure the light distribution from the projector.

White Light (RGB) - No Ambient Light


White Light (RGB) - 15 Watt Ambient Light


White Light (RGB) - 25 Watt Ambient Light

Click images to enlarge.

In the above visualizations I have applied the calibration constants for the no ambient light, 15 and 25 watt ambient light cases respectively. Note that the calibration takes out the effect of the ambient light. If I only use the no ambient light calibration then you get values greater than 255 for the 15 and 25 watt ambient light cases. The absolute values are really not that meaningful anyway. What can be seen from this type of light metering is that the white light projected on the panels is not uniform. I suspect some of that is due to the projector and some is due to the white ceiling and right side wall. Note that the values go up towards the right and also towards the ceiling.

Since we are able to measure these variations and turn them into offset values we should be able to correct the RGB values that are sampled from the photographs of white and black areas.

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post #5 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:50pm
Thread Starter 
Applying Offsets To White & Black Images

The offsets determined for the two levels of ambient light can be applied to the photographic data captured for the respective ambient light condition. These ambient light offsets can only be applied to black regions of an image. Conversely the offsets determined from the projected white light can only be applied to white regions of an image.

It should go without saying that these offsets are only useful in correcting white or black regions of the image. Therefore they can only be used for all white, all black (with ambient light), or the black & white bar images.

To help locate the proper sample regions there have been some test images added that have the measurement grid superimposed on them. The Black & White bar image has also been modified to better fit this measurement grid.

More information will be provided on this topic as I develop this method of correcting photographic data.

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post #6 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:50pm
Thread Starter 
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post #7 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:51pm
Thread Starter 
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post #8 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:52pm
Thread Starter 
Selecting A Reference Gray

The Reference Gray for the purposes of this sort of one-on-one comparison investigation is not to be confused with a "Photographic Reference Gray Card". For the purposes of comparing results that I may present with results that someone else may wish to present, it is necessary for there to be a common denominator in our photographic comparisons. To facilitate that, the material or paint must be commonly available at least in North America. It must also be one of the better performing off-the-shelf shelf solutions if it is going to provide any sort of reasonable baseline comparison sample.

The best performance I have observed has been from the Behr #4850 Exterior Premium Plus ULTRA (UPW) Flat acrylic latex paint. It apparently has reflective characteristics that are approaching those of the Black Widow (AAA) clones and at the same time behaves very much like a matte paint. It is apparent that this will not be accepted as a baseline Reference Gray due to the recommendation that exterior paint not be used indoors. The next best option from an availability and performance point of view is the Behr #1850 Interior Premium Plus Acrylic Flat Enamel.

I have performed some comparisons of the two Behr options and while there are some minor differences I am will to accept the Behr #1850 Flat Enamel as the Baseline Reference Gray. Both paints were tinted as follows:
Quart Custom Tint
0 12 0 Lamp Black
0 02 1 Brown Oxide
0 01 0 Medium Yellow This tint results in a gray very similar in shade to the Black Widow (AAA) samples. The tint was derived from an N7 neutral gray tint provided to wbassett by the folks at Xrite. To my knowledge it has not been tested and therefore it may not be exactly neutral. This is not absolutely ideal but it will only cause a very minor color shift if it is not quite as neutral as the BW-AAA being compared to it.

Click here to view the entire photo set with the 4850 on the left and the 1850 on the right.

Click here to view the entire photo set with the 1850 on the left and the 4850 on the right.

You can see from these images that the color balance is not quite the same for the two bases.

[ White Balanced ] . . . . . . . [ Original Photograph ]

Click images to enlarge.

I do believe the 4850 is slightly more blue than the 1850.

The two panels are very similar in black level and white level performance regardless of left or right position.

[ White Balanced ] . . . . . . . [ Original Photograph ]



Click images to enlarge.

As I said the Flat Enamel performs well enough for me to accept it as a baseline Reference Gray. It will be used for all comparisons in these investigations.

To be very blunt, if you wish to dispute my work then be prepared to put your money where your mouth is and purchase a quart of the Behr 1850 tinted as indicated above and make up a sample panel at least 2' x 4' in size. The panel should have two coats of Kilz2 applied followed by two coats of the Behr 1850 Reference Gray. All comments, suggestions, and constructive criticisms are welcome as always, but if you wish to debunk my work then be prepared to back up your claims with properly performed photographic comparisons.

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post #9 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:52pm
Thread Starter 
Projector Calibration

The projector is calibrated to the Reference Gray. This calibration must remain constant throughout the investigation or else the light field calibrations and offsets will become invalid.

Record Of Optoma HD72 Setup:


Click images to enlarge.

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post #10 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 
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post #11 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:53pm
Thread Starter 
Closeup Look - Surface Texture

All the sample panels were prepared by applying two coats of Kilz2 to a fresh panel. The Black Widow mix was applied in two coats using a 6mm nap fuzzy roller. To highlight the texture these photos were taken with light from above and no flash. The mount of texture is a function of the roller and how well the paint levels out.
Warning: These images have been converted to greyscale. This was done because the color was not necessarily correct and is irrelevant in this context. These images are intended to provide a visual representation of texture and/or the presence and density of reflective particles only.

BW-AAA-Behr1050 .. BW-AAA-Behr4850
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-BenMoore .. BW-AAA-CIL-Matte
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-Olympic . . . BW-AAA-Pittsburgh
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-SICO . . . . . . BW-AAA-ValsparFlat
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-ValsparFlat-Enamel
< insert photo link >

BW-BJA-Behr1050

Click images to enlarge.
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post #12 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 
Closeup Look - Aluminum Flakes

This is something that Harpmaker did with his samples tht really shows the aluminum in the painted surface. It really shows the difference in how the aluminum flakes behave in the different bases.
Warning: These images have been converted to greyscale. This was done because the color was not necessarily correct and is irrelevant in this context. These images are intended to provide a visual representation of texture and/or the presence and density of reflective particles only.

BW-AAA-Behr1050 .. BW-AAA-Behr4850
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-BenMoore .. BW-AAA-CIL-Matte
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-Olympic . . . BW-AAA-Pittsburgh
. .
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-SICO . . . . . . . BW-AAA-ValsparFlat
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-ValsparFlat-Enamel
< insert photo link >

BW-BJA-Behr1050

Click images to enlarge.
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post #13 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:54pm
Thread Starter 
Closeup Look - Pixel Grid

In these photographs the light is coming from the projector. You can see the pixel grid and see the number of aluminum flakes that are inside the pixels.
Warning: These images have been converted to greyscale. This was done because the color was not necessarily correct and is irrelevant in this context. These images are intended to provide a visual representation of texture and/or the presence and density of reflective particles only.

BW-AAA-Behr1050 .. BW-AAA-Behr4850
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-BenMoore .. BW-AAA-CIL-Matte
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-Olympic . . . BW-AAA-Pittsburgh
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-SICO . . . . . . . BW-AAA-ValsparFlat
..
Click images to enlarge.

BW-AAA-ValsparFlat-Enamel
< insert photo link >

BW-BJA-Behr1050

Click images to enlarge.
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post #14 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:55pm
Thread Starter 
Closeup Look - 200x Microscopic View

These images were taken with a QX5 Microscope. The area in the photographs is 1 x 0.75 mm. That is about a quarter of a pixel area.
Warning: The color of these photographs is not necessarily correct or relevant.
These photographs are intended to provide a visual representation of texture
and/or the presence and density of reflective particles.

BW-AAA-Behr1050


BW-AAA-Behr4850


BW-AAA-BenMoore


BW-AAA-CIL-Matte


BW-AAA-Olympic


BW-AAA-Pittsburgh


BW-AAA-SICO


BW-AAA-ValsparFlat


BW-AAA-ValsparFlat-Enamel
< insert photo link >

BW-BJA-Behr1050


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post #15 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:56pm
Thread Starter 
Closeup Look - 60x Microscopic View

These images were taken with a QX5 Microscope set to the 60x magnification. The light was set to low for all the photographs. I did observe quite a difference in brightness from sample to sample.
Warning: The color of these photographs is not necessarily correct or relevant.
These photographs are intended to provide a visual representation of texture
and/or the presence and density of reflective particles.

BW-AAA-Behr1050


BW-AAA-Behr4850


BW-AAA-BenMoore


BW-AAA-CIL-Matte


BW-AAA-Olympic


BW-AAA-Pittsburgh


BW-AAA-SICO


BW-AAA-ValsparFlat


BW-AAA-ValsparFlat-Enamel
< insert photo link >

BW-BJA-Behr1050


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post #16 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Comparison Source Images

IMHO, the only valid way to compare sample panels is to only compare two sample panels at once. The panels should be at least 2' wide by 4' tall. The two panels should straddle the centerline of the screen. This is assuming a horizontally center mounted projector. This should provide the most symmetrical illumination of both panels.

Given this approach for comparing sample panels, digital images were prepared that either provide a consistent image across both panels or include mirror images reflected about the centerline. To facilitate white balance correction there are areas set aside for photographic reference cards. In the following comparison images you can see these areas for the WhiBal card in the center and a white and color reference card on either side of the two panels.


Click images to enlarge.

In the first image there are black and white bars that are consistent across both sample panels. The second image contains a complete image of a galaxy for each sample panel, but note that the image is mirrored so that each panel has exactly the same image projected on it relative to the centerline. In the third image not only is the image mirrored but it has been cropped and placed to allow for close examination of the differences in the region where the two sample panels meet.

In addition to images specifically prepared for sample panel comparison, there are images included to assist in the brightness and contrast calibration as well as to indicate how well calibrated the projector is.



The first image provides an indication of how well the white levels will be projected. The second image provides an indication of how well the black levels will be discerned. Finally the gray scale images provide a visual indication of how well the projector is calibrated for the sample panels.

There are several dark scene images that are most effective in determining how well a sample panel will tolerate ambient light. In the following sequence of three images you can see examples of no ambient light, as well as 15 and 25 watts of ambient light.

No Ambient Light


!5 Watts of Ambient Light


25 Watts of Ambient Light



Click here to view all the Comparison Source Images.

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post #17 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:57pm
Thread Starter 
Visual Comparisons

All the Black Widow Clones were compared to the Behr 1850 Reference Gray sample panel. For each Black Widow panel a sequence of comparisons were photographed with the Black Widow Clone in the left hand position. This "Left" hand sequence includes a photo with full room lights to provide an indication of the relative shades of the two panels. A flash photo follows to indicate if the Black Widow Clone behaves differently when subjected to very bright light. Following this there are several photographic comparisons with various gray scale as well as black and white images. The final few images are dark scene images with varying levels of ambient light.

The Black Widow Clone is then placed in the "Right" hand position and all the same photographs are taken. The investigation of the light field uniformity revealed that the right position is subjected to slightly higher projected light levels while the ambient light levels are similar. The final sequence was taken with the Black Widow Clone in the "Right" hand position to give it every opportunity to outperform the simple matte gray reference panel.

While the Black Widow Clone is in the "Right" hand position, a sequence of flesh tone and colorful images are photographed for comparison.

All photo sets are terminated with the Rick Mercer - Talking To Americans mirror image.


Click image to LYAO

Click here to access all the Black Widow Clone comparison photo sets.

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post #18 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Behr UPW #1050

Full Room Lighting, No Flash, No Projected Light:

Click images to enlarge.


Camera Flash:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, On Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, ~45 Degrees Off Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Black & White Bars:

Click images to enlarge.

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post #19 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Behr UPW #1050

Low Ambient Light Performance (ie no lights, white walls & ceiling):

Click images to enlarge.


Moderate Ambient Light (15w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


High Ambient Light (25w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


Flesh Tone Comparison (BW on Right, 15w Ambient):


Click images to enlarge.


Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-Behr1050 on the left hand side.

Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-Behr1050 on the right hand side, including the color comparison images.

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post #20 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:59pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Behr Exterior ULTRA UPW #4850

Full Room Lighting, No Flash, No Projected Light:

Click images to enlarge.


Camera Flash:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, On Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, ~45 Degrees Off Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Black & White Bars:

Click images to enlarge.

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post #21 of 177
4/1/08 at 9:59pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Behr Exterior ULTRA UPW #4850

Low Ambient Light Performance (ie no lights, white walls & ceiling):

Click images to enlarge.


Moderate Ambient Light (15w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


High Ambient Light (25w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


Flesh Tone Comparison (BW on Right, 15w Ambient):


Click images to enlarge.


Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-Behr4850 on the left hand side.

Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-Behr4850 on the right hand side, including the color comparison images.

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post #22 of 177
4/1/08 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Benjamin Moore Flat

Full Room Lighting, No Flash, No Projected Light:

Click images to enlarge.


Camera Flash:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, On Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Projected White Light, ~45 Degrees Off Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Black & White Bars:

Click images to enlarge.

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post #23 of 177
4/1/08 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - Benjamin Moore Flat

Low Ambient Light Performance (ie no lights, white walls & ceiling):

Click images to enlarge.


Moderate Ambient Light (15w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


High Ambient Light (25w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


Flesh Tone Comparison (BW on Right, 15w Ambient):



Click images to enlarge.


Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-BenMoore on the left hand side.

Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-BenMoore on the right hand side, including the color comparison images.

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post #24 of 177
4/3/08 at 5:35am
Thread Starter 
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post #25 of 177
4/3/08 at 5:40am
Todd

Excellent work, and your method may not be perfect but it is easily the best example I have seen to date of how to compare samples fairly and unbiased.

I eagerly await the rest of the results.

I would hope this is the type of thread that many people take the time to read slowly and try and comprehend totally what is being shown and explained. It is dealing with mainly one type of screen paint made in a variety of different bases, but the method used to study this one example should be a method we all strive to do. A lot of the setup you made isn't beyond the average Joe tinkering with paints or materials but it might be more involved than they care to get into. But understanding these concepts and using the slides you came up with should get them much closer to true knowledge than any method they have been using to date.

Once again I complement you on your perseverance and trying to separate all emotional aspects of this stuff with a sound methodology that lets the chips fall where they may.
post #26 of 177
4/3/08 at 5:58am
This should be interesting...
post #27 of 177
4/3/08 at 7:19am
why the obsession with the Behr base when it's already been acknowledged that it seems to be a non-starter with this mix ??

post #28 of 177
4/3/08 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimwhite View Post

why the obsession with the Behr base when it's already been acknowledged that it seems to be a non-starter with this mix ??


No obsession, the Behr UPW #1050 is only one of the nine clones that were investigated. If you are going to accuse me of being obsessed with something, maybe it should be the Olympic and Valspar bases, since I drove to a foreign country just to get them.

I would also not write off the Behr UPW #1050, but I don't want to be accused of drawing any conclusions, so stay tuned and you decide what is a non-starter and what isn't, once all the facts have been posted.

P.S Behr comes before BenMoore alphabetically.
post #29 of 177
4/3/08 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - CIL Wash & Wear Ultra-Matte

Full Room Lighting, No Flash, No Projected Light:

Click images to enlarge.


Camera Flash:

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Projected White Light, On Axis:

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Projected White Light, ~45 Degrees Off Axis:

Click images to enlarge.


Black & White Bars:

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post #30 of 177
4/3/08 at 9:44am
Thread Starter 
Black Widow (AAA) - CIL Wash & Wear Ultra-Matte

Low Ambient Light Performance (ie no lights, white walls & ceiling):

Click images to enlarge.


Moderate Ambient Light (15w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


High Ambient Light (25w) Performance:

Click images to enlarge.


Flesh Tone Comparison (BW on Right, 15w Ambient):


Click images to enlarge.


Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-CIL-Matte on the left hand side.

Click here to view the complete photo set with the BW-AAA-CIL-Matte on the right hand side, including the color comparison images.

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