Cool Melon vs RAL 490-1
Cool Melon is a PPG color while RAL 490-1 comes from RAL Effect. These are both pink-reds, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within pink-red to land. At LRV 70 vs 66, RAL 490-1 will read as the brighter of the two — a 4-point gap that matters most in north-facing or low-light rooms. At ΔE 4.5, the difference is perceptible but not dramatic — the two can work harmoniously in the same space. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cool Melon vs RAL 490-1 in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Cool Melon and RAL 490-1 are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. RAL 490-1 has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — RAL 490-1 gives the walls a little more lift.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. The brightness difference is modest but present — RAL 490-1 gives the walls a little more lift.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The brightness difference is modest but present — RAL 490-1 gives the walls a little more lift.
House
At full exterior scale, the difference between these two colors becomes much easier to judge than from a small chip. The brightness difference is modest but present — RAL 490-1 gives the walls a little more lift.
Color Details
Cool Melon vs RAL 490-1 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cool Melon on one side and RAL 490-1 on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Cool Melon comparisons
See how Cool Melon stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
With LRVs of 69 and 66, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 83 vs 66, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 6, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 52, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Melon reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 8-point LRV gap (66 vs 58) makes Cool Melon the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 27, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
A 11-point LRV gap (66 vs 55) makes Cool Melon the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 66 vs 13, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 44, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 66), opening up a space where Cool Melon encloses it.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 66 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 8-point LRV gap (74 vs 66) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 83 vs 66, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 51), opening up a space where Pigeon encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 8, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 12, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 66 vs 45, Cool Melon is decisively the brighter choice.
Cool Melon reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.