Clarity before features
Every control should make the image easier to understand. If it adds noise without sharpening a decision, it does not belong.
A note from the studio
Better tools begin with better looking.
Paint Values is a small, independent set of browser tools for turning visual uncertainty into practical decisions—without taking ownership of the images that inspire them.
Creative software often asks you to learn the software before you can return to the work.
The opposite idea
Step in, see clearly, take the result, move on.
The goal is not to automate taste. It is to expose structure: where the light sits, how the composition holds, which colors dominate, and what can safely be simplified.
Working principles
A product with a point of view.
Private by architecture
Image work stays on the device. Privacy is not a promise layered over the product; it is built into how the product runs.
Useful over impressive
Measurements, values, palettes, and exports are designed for real creative work—not dashboard theatre.
Builder / NorwayBehind the instrument
Built by Stian Håve.
A full-stack developer with an architecture and product focus, building tools where technical restraint creates a calmer user experience.
Paint Values began with a practical question: how much software is actually needed to make a good visual decision?
The answer is less than most tools suggest—but the small set of features that remain must be fast, legible, and dependable.
Independent software, shaped by use.
See the idea at work