What colors look best underwater?

[Fifi Tigg]

Exactly as the title says; What colors look best under water when planning your tail design? :cool:

[MerEmma]

I'd say it depends on the background of where you're swimming. If it's in a bright blue pool, neon colors seem to stick out...

[Mermaid Jewel]

I would definitely say a bigger contrast than you think. Darks are darker and lights are lighter, that sort of thing. Shimmery helps too because it catches the light.

[Mermaid Lulu]

Thats question is very subjective. My advice would actually be to try and match the tail colors to best match your complexion. For my tail I choose to use a green base color with yellow/green highlights, brown/black lowlights, and pink accents. I have yellow undertones in my skin so do asians thats why I choose the green/yellow tones to actually make my skin appear more yellow and create a better flow between my skin and tail.Most white people have pink undertones.

I used black fins to match my dark hair. Bear in mind that colors appear different underwater and in different light. When I was first doing test paintings, I realized that my green color looked much darker when wet and the accent and yellow popped a lot more.

Like mermaid Jewel said contrast is bigger underwater.

[Rain]

I've actually been wondering the same thing lately, and I've decided that a mix of dark and bright colors would be nice. ;D

[Blondie]

I think all tails look wonderful in the pool.

What really matters is if it goes nice with your complexion, hair, skin color, ect

[AniaR]

Actual colour wheel speaking, opposite colours and complimentary colours look best. People always say my orange tail looks great in the blue water. That's because blue and orange are opposite on the colour wheel! After that, I'd take inspiration from nature :)

Using opposite or complimentary colours when designing a tail can have a great effect too. Most people recognize that red and green are opposite colours (one of the reasons they were picked for Christmas colours), yellow and purple works well too.

Experiment!

http://copiccreations.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/colorwheel.jpg

http://designwashere.com/design/wp-content/uploads/2009/ComplimentaryColors/color-wheel.jpg

[Fifi Tigg]

Thanks Raina!
That's a great idea using the color wheel and I will give that a go :D

[Mermaid Jewel]

Ah color theory. Always a good thing to go back to :D

A few other color wheel schemes
8706
8707

Site: http://www.tigercolor.com/color-lab/color-theory/color-harmonies.htm
Pretty helpful.

[Coradion]

It's pretty dependent on how deep you go. If you look at the penetration of light through water according to depth you'll find that a lot of colors are only visible in shallower water. Blues, greens, and less so purples and yellows are all more easily seen at greater depth without use of an extra light source. Here's a rough graph I pulled from the net, I doubt most people plan on tail swimming this far down though. In shallow water red, orange, and purple tend to look less attractive if submerged due to their nature of greying out more easily. If you're at the surface or taking pictures with a flash function however, there shouldn't be a problem.

http://www.wildcatlighting.com/images/Kayak/Light%20Penetration.jpg

[ShyMer]

nice chart, Coradion. This might be good to keep in mind when planning color schemes

[AniaR]

In shallow water red, orange, and purple tend to look less attractive if submerged due to their nature of greying out more easily

my orange and red hasn't done that yet. Pretty much the opposite, hence my statement from experience. Either way, if someone was going to go deep enough that the light was not strong enough so that ANY colour looks dull/washed out, it wouldn't be strong enough light for most photographic lenses (without stabilizers) without the use of a flash, so it wouldn't matter either way. If she wanted those colours you can only go so far with any colour before you need a flash. So regardless of the colour, pretty much anything past 50ft according to the chart is going to start washing out, but from a quick google search it looks to me to be more like 20. So if Fiona wanted to wear a tail past that deep, a flash would be best regardless of the colour IMO Shallow water? My tail pops like pop rocks :p No greying out unless you take away all light source.

floating in the ocean in Florida, no flash, no editing beyond cropping

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/425373_370545662980183_971023623_n.jpg

Canadian lakes are notorious for being very dark due to algae and in this case lots of iron, no flash

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/532297_443020032399412_55395052_n.jpg

6 ft down a salt water pool

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/541340_473995479301867_930257937_n.jpg

Behind the scenes in my old tail that was orange and yellow. Note that you can see the orange and yellow from that far away despite the water not being clear

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/383606_307552502612833_607159919_n.jpg

Raven and I deep in a salt water pool just after sunset. No sunlight, no flash, while my colours are darker, they're still more vibrant and noticeable than the green and blue that fades into the surroundings.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422155_368718906496192_998684153_n.jpg

Being towed through very dark choppy shore water at an ocean beach. No flash, just sunlight, still popping.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/598734_436795656355183_1146886818_n.jpg

Screen shot of tails in extremely dark chlorinated water with no flash or pool lights, which colours can you see the easiest?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/409159_490511877650227_592825290_n.jpg


So, while blue and green may be the colours that penetrate the darkest/deepest, they're also the colours that are going to blend in the most with the background. I think if you're shooting without a flash, you probably shouldn't go that deep to begin with. And yeah, in my actual experience of wearing a tail with red orange and yellow on it, it shows up perfectly fine in shallow water, it pops.

[AniaR]

ugh >.> I don't know why these photos wont resize. Sorry Fiona not trying to be so huge!

[Morticia Mermaid]

Coradion I hate to be a bubble buster, but those charts are actually in relation to LIGHT penetration through water, not color already under the water. Which is why most dive lights are a blue color, instead of yellow, because the light travels further and more depths than yellow or white does.

[Coradion]

You are in shallow water at the surface, hence there is still red and orange light penetration. In your pictures you are still in shallow enough water for light penetration of orange wavelengths. Are you below 30 feet in any picture? No. Like I said, most people are probably not planning on swimming that far down. You gave a good comment on aesthetics that helps people plan tails, and I provided another comment about color and depth to also help plan tails, end goal is the same. I'm just trying to help any mers who want to dive deep for pictures or videos where they may not have access to underwater flash lenses for photos since equipment can be expensive. Mers that want deeper water pics might find a blue and green tail would look better at depth. as opposed to a warmer colored tail. Cause let's face it, we all like to share pictures of us in our tails. All I'm saying is if you went free diving in a tail and orange or red tail will look grey when you get deep, but a blue and green one would still look blue and green at depth...

[AniaR]

You said,
In shallow water red, orange, and purple tend to look less attractive if submerged due to their nature of greying out more easily I'm in shallow water, and my colours are not doing what you just said, and that sentence also contradicts your chart? I agree that the deeper you go the darker they get without a flash. I disagree that that they "look less attractive" and "grey out more easily" in shallow water as you said. I think they're the perfect colour for shallow water, because the colours are opposite and tend to pop and be visually pleasing.

[Coradion]

Coradion I hate to be a bubble buster, but those charts are actually in relation to LIGHT penetration through water, not color already under the water. Which is why most dive lights are a blue color, instead of yellow, because the light travels further and more depths than yellow or white does.


You need light in order for there to be color. Light penetration is incredibly relevant to color at depth. I don't know why you're trying to correct this, because what I posted is accurate. If you look at a deep sea fish that is red when brought to the surface it appears red, at 100 feet under it is grey. If you shine a light on it the fish is still a red fish, but if there is no light of the appropriate wavelength then there is no color.

[Coradion]

Sorry, I'll correct myself. By shallow water I meant coastal as indicated by the chart, my mistake. Your colors would grey out more quickly in coastal waters than if you were in open ocean.

[AniaR]

Okay, I see what you mean, so down to about 50 ft. lol, I wouldn't consider 50ft shallow, but googling it didn't give any unit of measurement for what "shallow" is usually defined by. I figure you're in shallow water til you can't touch bottom anymore. which usually happens in lakes and pools with a drop off.

[Morticia Mermaid]

Coradion~ I don't know why you always feel you are the only one who has the correct answers to everything, even when people agree with you you argue that they are wrong. Every thread I have seen you post in, you always contradict everything everyone is stating. Or do you really have the answers to all lifes questions?

As for this thread. You state that you are "just trying to help any mers who want to dive deep for pictures or videos". I guarantee that if someone is making, or buying, a tail for that specific purpose, to go that deep JUST to get pictures and video then they will have the right equipment to take those pictures, no matter WHAT color the tail is. And if someone was free diving to that depth just for the hell ('scuse my language) of it, then I'm pretty sure they wont really care WHAT color their tail is. Honestly, I think the statement of the chart is at this point invalid. Protest as much as you want, but you know for fact that what I am saying is correct.

[Mermaid Menanna]

Something to add to Coradion's color chart is that light penetration in saltwater is a little different than freshwater due to the salinity. Saltwater is more dense than freshwater. Depth of water is also only one factor if talking about camera flashes, too. Distance from the light makes a difference underwater as much as above. The colors will differ if you're 6 ft away from the flash vs 12 ft. And don't forget to factor in UV light, which also alters things from above using sunlight vs below using flash.

Contrast is going to be key to all of it, at any depth. Not just contrast with skin tones but also with surroundings. Even a white tail is going to appear different in brown murky water vs dark blue algae tainted water, and more still if you go to clear water and various backgrounds. The background of the concrete or tile in a pool in clear water is going to make it appear different than clear blue water out in the ocean...

[Mermaid Menanna]

Oh, almost forgot to add... fabric/material will also make a difference. Some materials absorb light while others reflect it.

[Elle]

Not to be a know it all but that chart Coradion put up is in meters....not feet :)
so 50 meters is 164ft.... so you've still got a long way to go before worrying about colour 'greying out':yay:

[Elle]

BTW Mermaid Jewel! I love that chart you've put up.....I now think I can make a more educated guess on what my future tail will look like :)

[Coradion]

Okay, I see what you mean, so down to about 50 ft. lol, I wouldn't consider 50ft shallow, but googling it didn't give any unit of measurement for what "shallow" is usually defined by. I figure you're in shallow water til you can't touch bottom anymore. which usually happens in lakes and pools with a drop off.


Sorry for the misunderstanding. I think we were both saying the same thing. :P To me shallow is different since I free dive a lot. I should've specified where colors grey out in relation to your location and depth. If you're a river, lake, and pool mer you should be fine with any color tail at most depths available. If you're an oceanic mer depth may be a consideration.

[AniaR]

...and I love that we missed that it was in metres not ft lol so yeah, you have to go down a reallllllllllly long way before it's gone!

[ShyMer]

Coradion I hate to be a bubble buster, but those charts are actually in relation to LIGHT penetration through water, not color already under the water. Which is why most dive lights are a blue color, instead of yellow, because the light travels further and more depths than yellow or white does.

Actually I think this is relevant. White light is made up of all the colors, whereas absence of light has no color wavelengths. If I remember this correctly, when you look at an object, the light/color you see is what's being reflected back at you. If the light source is missing a part of the spectrum, like red, that color won't reflect off the object and you won't see it as the same color in white light. If the light is being filtered at some depth underwater so that reds don't make it through, then it won't reflect off the surface, because it isn't there.
I don't know much about light color theory, I'm a paint person, but I remember a little. Have you ever gotten to see that experiment where there's three colored lights (cyan, magenta, and yellow? I might be confusing this with something else) shining on a white surface? When the lights are turned off and on in different combinations, different colors are produced. When all lights are on, it makes white. It's really cool.

When I look at the pictures Raina provided, I see something different from what she described. Specifically with the group picture at the end, I see that her tail shows up better than the others, but I don't really see much red at all. I do see a little yellow, but any reds or oranges show up more muted than they would out of the water or at the very surface.

[Mermaid Jewel]

Your welcome! Just shift the triangles around for different color mixes :)

Also regarding the fabric thing, that's why I said shimmery tends to work better. In general, the spandex fabrics have a bit of shine but mine had that like scaley thing going so it was pretty shiny like...say reptile skin. It wasn't metallic but
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/170847_191884164170680_7256184_o.jpg

The color shows up fairly well underwater. Pardon the atrociously old photo! I guess if it's a little shimmery and shiny it picks up/reflects the light better. That's why most people opt for shimmery paints :3

[Coradion]

Coradion~ I don't know why you always feel you are the only one who has the correct answers to everything, even when people agree with you you argue that they are wrong. Every thread I have seen you post in, you always contradict everything everyone is stating. Or do you really have the answers to all lifes questions?

As for this thread. You state that you are "just trying to help any mers who want to dive deep for pictures or videos". I guarantee that if someone is making, or buying, a tail for that specific purpose, to go that deep JUST to get pictures and video then they will have the right equipment to take those pictures, no matter WHAT color the tail is. And if someone was free diving to that depth just for the hell ('scuse my language) of it, then I'm pretty sure they wont really care WHAT color their tail is. Honestly, I think the statement of the chart is at this point invalid. Protest as much as you want, but you know for fact that what I am saying is correct.


Umm... okay you can feel however you like. I know for a FACT because it is my own brain I am talking about, that I have a tail that I have dove to over fifty feet in and I did consider color and photos when I made it since it was a prototype that I wanted to take pictures with. I did consider how the color would come out in photos, and I did know that the cameras I would be using would not have flash. Just because you may not dive deep for fun, doesn't mean people who live on tropical islands do not :P. If you like to free dive and you think it's fun to do it in a tail, then you might pick a color accordingly so when you mess around with your free diver friends and some cameras it doesn't require a huge setup with expensive equipment. There are a lot of fun things and pic opportunities on reef edges.

[Mermaid Harmony]

I'm with Coradion with this. Yes all colors can look great under water, but if you do free dive, and live in a place that is what you use your tail for, then the depth is a factor. I think his chart was really helpful, and Lexia, I feel like your comment was a little harsher than needed. Coradion works at an aquarium and knows loads about lots of different things like fish and the oceans, just like Raina knows lots about working with kids, Kanti is a genius with building anything, Odette knows about the performing arts circuit, and others know specific things as well. Each person brings a unique aspect to the mer community, and sometimes it seems that we hop on to prove each other wrong without trying to clarify. So thank you Coradion for your chart, thank you Raina for the pics, and everyone else for the useful info. :-)

[Morticia Mermaid]

This is why i have gone to keeping to myself and my stuff only. I voice my opinionand it makes me an evil person.

And a little side note, i am a free diver, and also a certified scuba diver. I did not make my tail according to whether or not it would look nice at depth, yes i DO use it wheni free dive. My tail is black, because that is the color i wanted it to be.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

Lexi... I don't think that at all about you...

Your awesome

[Elle]

I have a tail that I have dove to over fifty feet in and I did consider color and photos when I made it since it was a prototype that I wanted to take pictures with. I did consider how the color would come out in photos, and I did know that the cameras I would be using would not have flash. There are a lot of fun things and pic opportunities on reef edges.

I hate to be a pain but your chart is in meters not feet.....
so it's 164ft not 50ft

[Fifi Tigg]

Wow what a question this was! :lol:
Did not expect such a heated debate, but a lot was learnt I guess?
What question can I ask next? LOL

[AniaR]

lol Fiona, you pick whatever colours you like :) I think for aesthetic purposes the colour charts we posted are great ideas, but you're the one who's going to wear it! I'm biased to orange, but my next tail will be different colours :3

[Fifi Tigg]

I'm really drawn to the soft color of blue's, turquoise's, greens with a little silver or gold sprinkled in ;)

[SeaGlass Siren]

I'm a sucker for silver tails that show off rainbowy colours... i actually kinda wanna save up for an iridescent mother-of-pearl coloured tail.

like that one tail raven made. it looked all white but it's super duper rainbowy *Q* -rainbowvomit-

[ShyMer]

I was thinking about doing a gray/silver tail for a while- to make it more interesting I planned on putting a lot of other colors in it as well. I had a mother of pearl, kinda like soap bubble colors going on in my head. I changed my mind and went for a green color scheme, but if I do another one anytime soon, that's what I'll probably go for.

The green, turquoise, blue, and gold color scheme is gorgeous <3

[Fifi Tigg]

Is their a picture of Raven's tail somewhere I can take a peek? Mermaid Andrea :D

[Elle]

your best going to the FB etsy site.
This album has pics of Raven in her different tails....
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.406863299369756.91877.178589958863759&type=3

[Dacora]

Mine will be a white iridescent/ grayish silver with red,orange and black in random places.
Go with what you like best. :)





Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[SeaGlass Siren]

Is their a picture of Raven's tail somewhere I can take a peek? Mermaid Andrea :D

well there is this one: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=445638762158876&set=a.186311664758255.47942.178589958863759&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F178222_445638762158876_2117886105_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-prn1%2F558909_445638762158876_2117886105_n.jpg&size=1365%2C2048

but also this one: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=459820450740707&set=a.186311664758255.47942.178589958863759&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F705634_459820450740707_568638635_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F224965_459820450740707_568638635_n.jpg&size=2048%2C1450

(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=459820450740707&set=a.186311664758255.47942.178589958863759&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F705634_459820450740707_568638635_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F224965_459820450740707_568638635_n.jpg&size=2048%2C1450)but i also want something in this colour: http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#user=183521&with_photo_id=50464227&tag=Fish

[Fifi Tigg]

Wow they are some fabulous tail colors :cool:

[New York Mermaid]

for me im drawn to hues of blues, purples, and soft greens, my light blue/dark blue tail (which is being remade) was my favorite and i just wanted it to blend just a bit, my new tail (Blue which fades into darker purple) i decided i wanted to somewhat blend more naturally into the water, but alittle contrast is always good too :).

Im not one for greens, oranges or really bright colors, however i wouldnt mind a black/blue tail which glows. I guess to each their own hehe'

[Mermaid Danielle]

Any bright or bold color should look stunning...

[Coradion]

I hate to be a pain but your chart is in meters not feet.....
so it's 164ft not 50ft

I know it's in meters. It's the scientific standard, I've been referring to the coastal waters half since I don't think many mers do too many blue water dives. The point where there's no light of that wavelength at all is different from the point at which you a tail would start to grey out. I'm sure we could look up the actual depth at which each color is totally greyed out, but I'm not feeling it right now.

[Elle]

I know it's in meters. It's the scientific standard, I've been referring to the coastal waters half since I don't think many mers do too many blue water dives. The point where there's no light of that wavelength at all is different from the point at which you a tail would start to grey out. I'm sure we could look up the actual depth at which each color is totally greyed out, but I'm not feeling it right now.

It was just because there was a lot of talk about feet and it just kept going :)
There is a lot of blue water where I am (Lucky me) so I will be taking into consideration your chart. But I highly doubt I'll go that deep. But for free divers (and free diving mers) I can understand the importance of your chart in reference for how well their tails will show up on camera.
But the question was posted by someone who I think is making tails for her very young daughter and i don't think she'll be diving that deep yet :)

[Fifi Tigg]

It was just because there was a lot of talk about feet and it just kept going :)
There is a lot of blue water where I am (Lucky me) so I will be taking into consideration your chart. But I highly doubt I'll go that deep. But for free divers (and free diving mers) I can understand the importance of your chart in reference for how well their tails will show up on camera.
But the question was posted by someone who I think is making tails for her very young daughter and i don't think she'll be diving that deep yet :)

You are absolutely right Elle, but in saying that she surprises me everyday in what she can do in that tail!
She swims better in the tail than she does with legs! LOL
The second time she went swimming in her tail she said she was going to try front somersaults and back flips and she did both on the first try!!! :jawdrop:
She was born a mermaid I swear!!!! ;)

[Fifi Tigg]

Well I re-painted her tail and I just went with my gut with colors and it turned out great and the most important thing is she loves it! :yay::yay:I went with a worn look like a humpback whale
89598960

[Coradion]

If she hasn't already seen it the series Ocean Girl might be a good one for her. I loved it when I was little, still do actually. I like that look, adding barnacle texture and pattern.

[Black Akira]

This makes me wonder should I still get my blue/turquoise tail.

Maybe I should make it blue violet with purples instead, even though blue is my favorite color, I really do not like red.

[AptaMer]

This makes me wonder should I still get my blue/turquoise tail.

Maybe I should make it blue violet with purples instead, even though blue is my favorite color, I really do not like red.

Hi Deep Sea Siren,

I personally think blue/turqouise are great colours underwater. In shallow water, things in contrasting colours are easy to see, and really stand out in blue or turquoise, or green water. Blue & turquoise, while they may be closer to the colours of some waters, can still look really spectacular if you add contrasting details, like scale outlines, perhaps.

Now water lets blue light pass through the best, and absorbs red the most, with colours in between being absorbed somewhere in the middle. Of course, this is why pure water looks blue as you go down deeper. In my experience water looks green when algae are growing in it, and it tends to be a bit murky. Green water also gets dark faster as you go down.

What I've noticed, and this is just my subjective opinion, is that as one goes down in the water, even just 20 feet deep, reds start to look brown and oranges start to look duller. Blue things still look bright, and if there are whitish highlights on them, they can even look sort of like they're glowing or shimmering. This only applies to mers who dive down to those kinds of depths, and would still like to look good.

It seems to me that most mers who are doing photoshoots do them reasonably close to the surface, or even on the surface. So I'd almost say, if how you look in photos is your main concern, it may not matter what colours you choose, you should just go with the colours you like best (and that go best with your skin colour :) )

[Black Akira]

Hi Deep Sea Siren,

I personally think blue/turqouise are great colours underwater. In shallow water, things in contrasting colours are easy to see, and really stand out in blue or turquoise, or green water. Blue & turquoise, while they may be closer to the colours of some waters, can still look really spectacular if you add contrasting details, like scale outlines, perhaps.

Now water lets blue light pass through the best, and absorbs red the most, with colours in between being absorbed somewhere in the middle. Of course, this is why pure water looks blue as you go down deeper. In my experience water looks green when algae are growing in it, and it tends to be a bit murky. Green water also gets dark faster as you go down.

What I've noticed, and this is just my subjective opinion, is that as one goes down in the water, even just 20 feet deep, reds start to look brown and oranges start to look duller. Blue things still look bright, and if there are whitish highlights on them, they can even look sort of like they're glowing or shimmering. This only applies to mers who dive down to those kinds of depths, and would still like to look good.

It seems to me that most mers who are doing photoshoots do them reasonably close to the surface, or even on the surface. So I'd almost say, if how you look in photos is your main concern, it may not matter what colours you choose, you should just go with the colours you like best (and that go best with your skin colour :) )

I'm actually African American and unfortunately I'm medium skinned I have a tan and sadly I'm suffering from a terrible skin disease Ancanthosis Nigericans which is very unsightly and is slowly covering up my body, and blue might clash with my skin color.

I Absolutely love blue, however I'm not quite as fair skinned as white girls are.

So I might not do mermaiding, instead just look from afar.

If I was to make a mermaid tail, for my very tall frame I was going with a parrot fish as they are tropical fish and I happen to live in Florida.

[seagirls626]

NOT WHITE!!! especially if your tail is fabric.