The conclusion, discussed below, is that you are likely to see the colors on this site pretty much as I see them
If you have even a reasonably modern desktop computer (say, 5 years old or less), it is very likely that you'll see the colors on this site pretty much the way I do. There WILL BE some exceptions, but I believe that they are very much in the minority.
To help you figure out whether you see what I see, I've included this display of the most common colors. If what you see is substantially different than what the names in these color boxes indicate, then you should suspect the colors shown on this web site.
If you want more discussion, read on, but if you see what the labels in the boxes above say you should see, then you are good to go.
I have heard from many folks responding to this site, and I have read in a couple of places on the web, that the wide variation in color presentation on computer monitors makes my avowed task here futile.
My response to this is that such claims have a foundation in fact but they are are seriously exaggerated. If you have a laptop, then, yes you are likely to see the colors significantly differently than I do on my monitor, especially if you have an older laptop or a low-end laptop. Otherwise, you are likely to see the colors as being quite close to how I see them.
I've looked at the pics on this site from several different desktop computers and I have not once seen any significant variation in color, so I don't really think there's all that much to worry about.
In addition, I have checked the colors on my monitor in two ways. First, I've put pieces of wood up right next to their picture on the monitor and checked that the colors are accurate. With the exception of yellow tones, the accuracy in most cases is really excellent. Second, I've used a color standard sheet (see below) that came with my scanner, to assess the full range of the visible light spectrum on my monitor. Again, with the exception of yellows, the accuracy is excellent.
The yellow in D12 and in column 15 is slightly more pale on my monitor than on the actualy color sheet, which has a slightly more golden tint. This is consistent with the difficultly I have had in making yellows come out right on some wood pics, but I don't know how much of it is due to the scanner (this image was scanned in, not photographed, and I will address that at some point in the future).
SOME NOTES ABOUT WHAT COLORS I SEE ON THE HARDCOPY OF THE COLOR CHART ABOVE:
L17 Coke red (coca cola products)
C6 yellowish orange
C7 orange
C8 brownish orange
A5 brown
D4 dark brown
E8 olive green
red
column 17 is shades of red from light down to L17 which is a bright red sort of like coca cola products
blue
column 19 is shades of blue from light down to L19 which is navy blue
the upper right corner is shades of sky blue
brown
C4 sort of a cross between blood red and brown
B5 brown
B6 dull brown
light blue
column 13 is shades of light blue, with G13 being what I believe is generally called "powder" blue, or perhaps light sky blue.
pink
column 14 is shades of pink from light down to L14 which is a substantial pink, but still pretty light
L12 is a dark pink
yellow
column 15 is shades of yellow from light down to L15 which is bright yellow
C11 VERY pale yellow with a hint of green
D12 a fairly bright yellow with a hint of green
