In shopping for shoe cream, product images are typically bright so you can see its color, but when an image is too dark, there is a Photoshop trick to help us see its hidden color. With a tweak, we can even generate a preview of how a cream might stain Phicen TPE. SAPHIR’s chart is the example. Photoshop - Image - Adjustments - Selective Color: set slider on Black to minus 100% on all colors except for Reds, Whites, Neutrals & Blacks. Reds: set Cyan to minus 100%, hit OK. Now open Selective Color and repeat this again. If an image is only slightly dark or is saturated plenty, there’s no need to repeat the step.
What you are now seeing is the dilution of all colors except for Red which tend to be the strongest pigment of cream to remain on TPE. Now the truth is revealed! I should guess that some of the colors you might have otherwise chosen are no longer a suitable match to what you needed. For instance, Dark Brown now appears too orange/red for a natural suntan. Most of the light shades of brown appear entirely too orange/red for human skin. But this is great stuff! We’ve just eliminated money wasters to get it right on the first buy. Of SAPHIR’s choice of colors now revealed, I would perhaps select Boar Brown or Mink for a darker suntan, and Brown, Hazel, Khaki or Taupe Grey for a light tan - for their low concentration of red pigmentation over the rest. Each may result in ethnic tan variations. Look closely at those I selected and you’ll see a tiny hint of blue, on par with actual skin. Most of the light colors on chart will barely stain TPE, so select the darkest for any color. Most dark tones will not remain on TPE but they are beneficial to subdue color radiance.
In my experience, its the cheap brand containing petrochemicals as opposed to ‘natural’ ingredients that result in deep coloration on Phicen TPE. SAPHIR’s coloration is decent but not the best. The chart provided is a color demonstration, not a promotion for brand. Save this chart in full resolution at my store’s blog page. Zoom in for closer examination. Test conducted on blue and green cream yielded weak results. Oil Pastel recommended for colors other than reds, oranges and browns of skin tone.