Atmospheric vs Byte Blue
Atmospheric and Byte Blue come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. These are both blues, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within blue to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 67 vs 68 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. Both share a cool character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 1.3 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Atmospheric vs Byte Blue in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Atmospheric and Byte Blue 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
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Atmospheric vs Byte Blue Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Atmospheric on one side and Byte Blue 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 Atmospheric comparisons
See how Atmospheric stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 67), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 69 vs 67), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 6), opening up a space where Iron Ore encloses it.
At LRV 67 vs 52, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 30, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 52), opening up a space where Mizzle encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (67 vs 60) makes Atmospheric the marginally brighter of the two.
Atmospheric reads slightly lighter (LRV 67 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 67 vs 43, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 4, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
Atmospheric reads slightly lighter (LRV 67 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 13), opening up a space where Bancha encloses it.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 67, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 21, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 67 and 66, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 67), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 67), opening up a space where Atmospheric encloses it.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 68 and 67, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
At LRV 67 vs 41, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 67), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 67 vs 25, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Atmospheric reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 67 vs 31, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 7, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 24, Atmospheric is decisively the brighter choice.
A 10-point LRV gap (67 vs 57) makes Atmospheric the marginally brighter of the two.