Color Theory & Application Flashcards
7 cards from real CA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Color Theory & Application flashcards as text
Aluminum (silver) metallic flake orientation in a sprayed finish is most affected by which application variable?
Answer: Spray gun distance and air pressure during application
Gun distance and air pressure control how metallic flake lies flat or stands up, directly affecting the lightness or darkness and sparkle of the finished color.
Which type of color variation describes paint that appears lighter when viewed straight-on and darker when viewed at an angle?
Answer: Flop or travel
Flop (also called 'travel') is the lightness-to-darkness shift visible in metallic or pearl paints as the viewing angle changes relative to the light source.
An adjuster reviewing a paint estimate notices a line item for 'solvent pop repair.' What condition does this address?
Answer: Tiny craters or pinholes caused by trapped solvent that evaporated too quickly through an uncured paint film
Solvent pop creates small craters or pinholes when solvent vapors escape through the paint film before it has cured, requiring additional labor to sand, re-coat, and polish.
What does 'color chip variance' mean when comparing a color chip book to an actual vehicle?
Answer: The printed chip may differ from the vehicle's aged or batch-variable paint, requiring spectrophotometer verification
Printed color chips are reference points only; real vehicles may vary due to paint batch differences, aging, or sun exposure, so spectrophotometer readings provide a more accurate formula.
In which lighting condition should an adjuster NOT evaluate a color match for a final quality check?
Answer: Low-CRI sodium vapor (yellow streetlights)
Low-CRI sodium vapor lights distort color perception significantly and are unsuitable for color match evaluation; high-CRI or D65-standard lighting is required.
What is 'orange peel' in an automotive finish and how does it affect a claim estimate?
Answer: A texture defect resembling orange skin caused by improper atomization, requiring additional polish or respray costs
Orange peel is a wavy, bumpy surface texture from paint that did not level properly; correcting it adds polishing or re-spray labor costs to the repair estimate.
A spectrophotometer is used during color matching to do which of the following?
Answer: Objectively measure a vehicle's color values and generate a formula for mixing paint
A spectrophotometer reads the precise color spectrum of a vehicle's painted surface and outputs a tinting formula, removing guesswork from color matching.