Are pictures really accurate?

Color plays an important role in the buying process .Studies show that 70% of consumers make their buying decisions in person and they will often reach past the same product that has a the duller look to get to one with the more "appealing" color.  

As an online store, we get a lot of questions regarding the online pictures looking different than the tile that was shipped.  As a retail store, we often have clients come into the store with photos of floors or counter tops and ask if we can match it with a tile we carry in our store.

Often times, as consumers, we need photos to visualize what a product is going to look like on a floor or a wall because a sample board isn't able to show us that. Unfortunately, what we see in a photo relies heavily on many different factors. Light plays one of the most significant roles in color perception, in fact, were you aware it's the color of the light that determines the color your brain will see? 

We thought we'd show you exactly what we mean by taking photos of the same tile with different lighting scenarios. Here's an example of the Polis It Rocks Series we carry.

Some of these photos look similiar, but none of them are an exact match in color to each other or the actual tile itself.  The photo taken outside is the most similiar in color to the actual sample, but this was taken on a cloudy day with no sun in sight.  

Here's another example of a different tile.  This is a popular tile we sell in our store, Positano Blanco, it's actually more creamy beige in tone with gray undertones, but all these photos take on more of the gray tone, especially the one "Inside w/ Flash". 

When you're selling items on shopping sites, presentation and marketing are just as important as having high-quality products.  We try our best at making sure the photos we post online are true to color, but we have no control over your computer color settings or even the light you are viewing the photos in. This is why we often recommend ordering a sample of a tile first before you make your online purchase or if you're local, visit our store and sign out a  sample boards to take with you. While a picture is worth a thousand words, nothing compares to matching the tile itself to the other components (counter tops, paint, cabinets) of your design remodel.