Method for specifying paint color from computer graphics picture

1. A method for specifying a first paint color, using a computer graphics picture and a color database, the method comprising:

displaying on a computer display a computer graphics picture suitable for expressing an impression of a desired paint color;

selecting at least a first region, a second region and a third region in the computer graphics picture, obtaining a color information data set of each of the first, second and third selected regions, and combining the obtained color information data sets into a combined color information data set; and

searching and selecting an approximate paint color having a color information data set approximate to the combined color information data set from the color database which stores color information data sets of a plurality of previously created colors, and specifying the selected approximate paint color as the first paint color,

wherein at least some of the previously created colors are metallic paint colors, each of the metallic paint colors changing in color according to differing observation angles of the respective metallic paint colors the observation angles being a shade angle, a face angle, and a highlight angle,

wherein the color information data sets stored in the color database comprise color information data sets of the shade angle of the metallic paint colors, color information data sets of the face angle of the metallic paint colors, and color information data sets of the highlight angle of the metallic paint colors,

wherein the computer graphics picture is composed of a plurality of colors and is divided into a plurality of areas by photo-mosaic processing, with a first one of the plurality areas of the computer graphics picture being designated as the first selected region, a second one of the plurality of areas of the computer graphics picture being designated as the second selected region, and a third one of the plurality of areas of the computer graphics picture being designated as the third selected region,

wherein the designation of the first, second and third selected regions is based on luminance levels of the first, second and third selected regions, with the luminance level of the second selected region being higher than the luminance level of the first selected region and lower than the luminance level of the third selected region,

wherein said searching and selecting an approximate paint color comprises:

comparing the obtained color information data set of the first selected region of the computer graphics picture to the color information data sets stored in the color database of the shade angle of the metallic paint colors;

comparing the obtained color information data set of the second selected region of the computer graphics picture to the color information data sets stored in the color database of the face angle of the metallic paint colors; and

comparing the obtained color information data set of the third selected region of the computer graphics picture to the color information data sets stored in the color database of the highlight angle of the metallic paint colors, and

wherein the obtained color information data sets for the first, second and third selected regions of the computer graphics picture are RGB values, and the color information data sets for the shade angle, the face angle, and the highlight angle of the metallic paint colors are RGB values.

2. The method for specifying a first paint color according to claim 1 ,

wherein the computer display for displaying the computer graphics picture suitable for expressing the impression of the desired paint color is a display device which can discriminate 32,000 or more colors.

3. The method for specifying a first paint color according to claim 1 ,

wherein said displaying comprises scanning an image picture and downloading the scanned image picture to a computer, and

wherein the computer graphics picture displayed on the computer display is the downloaded scanned image picture.

4. The method for specifying a first paint color according to claim 1 ,

wherein the computer graphics picture is composed of a plurality of solid colors, and

wherein each of the first, second and third selected regions of the computer graphics picture corresponds to a different one of the plurality of solid colors.