How can I photograph and print surface textures with reasonably accurate color using basic gear?

Question

I want to photograph real surfaces like wood floors and brick, then print those photos so the print matches the original surface color as closely as practical. This is for making scale models, so I don’t need perfect lab-grade accuracy, just reasonably close results.

My equipment is limited: I have an older point-and-shoot and a phone, and neither gives me RAW files. My monitor and printer are already calibrated well enough, and I’m printing on paper I trust.

What I’m unsure about is the capture side: lighting, white balance, and whether using a printed reference card in the frame would help or accidentally cancel out the ambient color of the scene.

Given those limitations:
- What is the simplest workable method for getting decent color accuracy?
- Is a gray card or color checker better than a homemade CMYK gradient card?
- How is this normally done when better cameras and color tools are available?

user95237 · Answer

Lighting is the place to start. You want a very high CRI for color critical work. Tungsten hot lights are the most accessible way to get that.

Second piece is an accurate gray card.

Third piece is a camera that allows setting the white balance off the gray card.

But with a good tungsten bulb, the color temperature will be right at 3200k.

If you use LED’s or fluorescent sources, you won’t have full spectrum and some colors will always be off. Xenon flash/strobe tends to have some variation in temperature, though it provides full spectrum.

Without a known light source, everything about the input is more of a guess.

Light sources for viewing printed colors is a whole higher level of specialized equipment with prices to match. But that’s a mostly a waste of resources without accurate input.

How can I photograph and print surface textures with reasonably accurate color using basic gear?

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