In addition, Benjamin Moore sponsors education and training for professionals through the construction industry’s premier online trainer, AEC Daily. You don’t have to be a professional needing to earn continuing education credits—anyone can learn about Color and Paint in Environments for the Aging, Color Foundations, Creating Healthy Environments with Advanced Paint Technology, and Origins of Color and Pigments—and every course is for free. Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury / Getty Images Palettes: Blend and mix complicated color palettes to create just the right shades for your painting and decorating projects. Developer Rick Maddy offers three versions: Free, Basic, and Pro. Beware, though, because the free version runs like a Pro at first, then reverts back. For more complex tasks, get the advanced version for dollars more. Paint Tester: Take a picture of your room that needs painting, then virtually try out different color schemes. This Luminant Software is available for iOS and Android devices. Project Color by The Home Depot: This app works like the Paint Tester app above, but with an orange Home Depot apron. The Google Play download gets worse reviews than the iTunes version. Juice Images Ltd / Getty Images “Resene has a wide range of products, services and tools to suit homeowners doing DIY projects inside and outside,” they say, and it’s difficult to remember that this website is for products manufactured for New Zealand and Australian markets. The Habitat by Resene magazine reminds us that no matter what hemisphere you live in, inspired colors are universal and you can buy anything online. Companies like McCormick Paints have had the good sense to leave the technology to these experts. When you select the McCormick Color Visualizer, select Start Now right away and watch the URL change to https://mccormickpaints.chameleonpower.com. You are now in the hands of the experts. Upload a photo of your house (login required), inside or out, or use an image from the database. Experiment with thousands of McCormick colors, easily identified by name and number. You might not be able to render small details, but this online tool will help you visualize color cominatins before you even touch a brush or roller. With a little experimentation and a more expanisve “Help” screen, you’ll be able to “paint” your house in a matter of minutes. AleksandarNakic / Getty Images monkeybusinessimages / Getty Images Select from an array of rooms and house styles, then choose the Sherwin-William palette to experiment with color combinations. The match might not be perfect, but this app can help you zero in on the look you want. It’s free and fun, as are all of the Sherwin-Williams snap tools—they might even crackle and pop after they snap. MaxMaro / Getty Images Westend61 / Getty Images kitzcorner / Getty Images
