1. Describe the look before naming the colour

Start with a sentence about the effect you want: calm and understated, bright with clear contrast, or rich and warm. Then choose a few colour families that might produce that effect. This gives each concept a purpose and makes it easier to reject an attractive image that does not match your original idea.

Look at the details you plan to retain, especially the wheels, window surrounds, grille and lights. A body colour is part of that existing palette. If you already like those details, keep them unchanged in the first comparison so you can see how each proposed colour interacts with them.

2. Use a photo with readable body panels

Choose a clear exterior view showing the hood and side of the car. Check that strong glare does not cover large areas of paint and that the shaded panels still have detail. A photo with a heavy colour filter gives you a less useful baseline because it already changes the relationships you want to compare.

Use the same source image for all initial colours. A green concept photographed in soft light and a graphite concept shown at night do not form a clean comparison. Keep the viewpoint and background consistent, and review both the overall impression and the smaller body lines.

3. Narrow the colour family before the finish

Compare a small set of distinct families first, such as graphite, green and blue. Keep the finish similar while deciding which direction you prefer. CarTuning.ai includes those colours alongside black, pearl and lava orange, with additional written instructions available to explain the visual idea.

Once a family stands out, explore gloss, satin and matte. Gloss concepts can show more defined reflections; satin suggests a softer sheen; matte gives a more muted surface treatment. Judge how each version describes the same hood, shoulder line and wheel arch, rather than picking solely from a small patch of colour.

4. Give a two-tone idea a clear boundary

If you want a contrasting roof, describe it separately from the main body. A brief such as “deep blue body with a dark roof; retain the current wheels and window trim” makes the intended division easier to understand. CarTuning.ai includes a two-tone direction with a contrasting roof as a starting point.

Review where the generated colours meet. Check pillars, roof edges, mirror housings and small trim pieces, and decide which of those belong to the concept you actually want. If the image adds a stripe or recolors a part you meant to retain, refine the instruction before using it as a reference.

5. Record what each concept resolves

Give the preferred images names based on their design decisions, such as “green satin with dark trim.” Write down what you like about each one. Does the colour make the body line easier to see? Do the wheels still stand out? Does the roof contrast make the profile feel more coherent?

  • Keep one original photo as the reference for every comparison.
  • Compare body colour before adding new wheels or exterior details.
  • Inspect both the bright and shaded sides of the concept.
  • Save a small shortlist instead of many nearly identical images.

6. Take the shortlist back to real samples

An AI colour concept is not a film catalog or an exact paint-code preview. Screens, photographs and generated reflections all influence the apparent shade. Use the shortlist to describe the colour family, contrast and finish you want, then compare physical samples in different light to see the material itself. CarTuning.ai for iOS is coming soon.