When I first started doing personal colour analysis back in 2004, the only way to do it accurately was in person. This was because cameras and screens (unless you had the professional equipment) just didn’t give you an accurate enough image to do a great job. Fortunately, with the significant improvements in mobile phone cameras, these now produce some really great photos, making it much easier to do a personal colour analysis online.
I started experimenting with ways of doing personal colour analysis online in 2014 in my 7 Steps to Style program and have spent the past decade improving and tweaking my methods. What’s great is that I’ve had the joy of meeting quite a few of my online clients in person when I’ve travelled, which has meant I’ve been able to confirm that their colour palettes are correct, along with the signature colours I chose from their photos. So that I know my online colour analysis system works well.
Now, there are lots of apps that use AI (artificial intelligence) to do colour analysis, based on one photo that you upload. But in my experience (and I’ve tried some out myself to see how well they work), the answers are often not particularly accurate, and there isn’t the nuance that I have built into my Absolute Colour System – it’s 18 palettes based on the science of colour properties, so it has more nuance and accuracy than seasonal systems. It’s also why I don’t do celebrity analysis from photos, as those photos are usually photoshopped, and who knows if the celebrity is wearing fake tan, or what has been changed about their natural colouring.
I love listening to a podcast when walking my whippets round the park, and one of my regular listens is Hidden Brain. The other day, I listened to this episode on Trusting Your Doubt, and I loved the explanation that the guest, Bobby Parmer, gave about why experts actually seek more information than novices. I took a 30-second clip of the relevant part that you can listen to here:
How Does this Relate to Online Personal Colour Analysis?
When I do an online colour analysis, it’s a multi-step process. This is because I want to get you an accurate result. As Bobby Parmer says in the clip: “When we look at nurses, experienced nurses collect twice as much data as novice nurses when making a diagnosis… People who are experienced when it comes to dealing with uncertainty and doubt are more sensitive to their surroundings, and they’re investing in learning, they’re not investing in trying to get to the right answer quickly.”
As many people, I’m sure, would love an instant answer as to their ideal colour palette, I know what matters to my clients is the right answer. So, as an expert with over 20 years of colour analysis experience, I take the time to ask for more information, learn more, and get more photos to ensure the outcome is the best for my client. I love it when my clients send me 20 – 50 photos. And in fact, the more I get, the more accurate my analysis is (and of course, the better quality the photos, the easier and faster this process is as well) as cameras can skew colours a little, but by the time I’ve looked at lots of photos, I see the patterns and the nuance.
Having just finished running a personal colour analysis training course (next one starts 27 April if you’re keen to learn), I always stress to my students that they should ask for more photos. So often, they are hesitant because they worry that asking for more shows their inexperience. It was great to hear that research shows that I’m not alone in wanting more, as more experienced people always spend more time learning so they can make better decisions.
If you want an accurate online analysis, rest assured, it’s possible with a good system and high-quality training. If you’d love to discover your best palette of colours, no matter where you are in the world, here’s a link to my online colour analysis services.
