# Why Shadecard shows no recipe (family only, no close match, whites) - URL: https://abdohoo.app/help/shadecard/no-recipe-shown - Product: Shadecard (https://sc.abdohoo.app) - Section: Troubleshooting - Updated: 2026-09-30 > No recipe appears when there was no reference card (family only), when no library shade is within ΔE 9, or when the fabric is white or optically brightened. Each has a fix. Shadecard withholds a named shade and recipe in three situations: the capture had **no reference card**, **no library shade is close enough** (more than ΔE 9 away), or the fabric is **white or optically brightened**. In each case the result screen says why and shows what it can. The fix is usually a retake with white paper in the small box. ![The Refusals section of sc.abdohoo.app: no reference card means shade family only; spread over ΔE 3 means capture rejected; match over ΔE 9 means no recipe offered](https://abdohoo.app/media/library/shadecard/web-refusals.webp)The rules behind these screens, as the Shadecard website states them## 1. "Looks …" – no reference card If **No card** was selected, the result is titled with the colour family, for example **Looks greens**, followed by: *Without a reference card the app can only name the color family — not an exact shade or recipe.* Below it you get **Closest shades — as a hint** and a **WANT THE RECIPE?** card. The camera guesses colours from the room's light, and without something of known colour in the frame that guess cannot be checked. **Fix:** tap **Retake with paper in the box**, select **White paper** (or **18% grey card**) and capture again with the paper in the small dashed box. See [White paper, grey card or colour chart?](https://abdohoo.app/help/shadecard/white-paper-grey-card-colour-chart). ![Home screen notes: How it works steps and the Good to know card saying a phone is not a lab instrument and that without white paper you get only the color family](https://abdohoo.app/media/library/shadecard/android-home-how-it-works.webp)The home screen states the rule too: no paper, family only## 2. "No close recipe for this color" – nothing within ΔE 9 When the nearest library shade is more than 9 ΔE00 away, naming it would be a guess. The result is titled **No close recipe for this color** and lists **Nearest neighbourhoods** as hints. In most cases the app still offers an **Interpolated starting recipe**, badged **INTERPOLATED · BETWEEN CURATED SHADES**: it is derived from the curated shades around your fabric's exact colour, and the app asks you to treat it as a first lab dip, not a proven recipe. You can open it in the calculator and save the measurement as usual. **What helps:** - Retake first. A reading that is far from everything can be caused by coloured light, a card in shadow or a very shiny cloth. - Check for fluorescence. Neon or very bright synthetic colours often sit outside what yellow, red and blue dyes can reach; if the result also shows *Implausibly high chroma*, treat any match as unreliable. - If the colour is genuine, use the interpolated recipe as your first dip, then save the approved result as a custom shade so the app can match it next time. ### Between ΔE 6 and 9: rough match This is not a refusal. The shade is named and the recipe shown, with a **ROUGH MATCH** card: expect a correction round, and follow the **Tuning tips**. The result may also offer **Also try: interpolated recipe** and mark whichever is closer as **Recommended start**. ## 3. "White / brightened fabric" If the fabric measures very light and bluish or colourless, the result is titled **White / brightened fabric**: *Whites aren't measurable with a phone: most carry optical brighteners that glow under UV light, which the camera can't account for — so no recipe is offered.* This is a limit of the method, not a bad capture. Whites and off-whites are specified with whiteness measurements on instruments with controlled UV. Tap **Back to capture**. ## 4. "No match available — please retake." Rarely, a result comes back with no matches at all. Go back and capture again. Just after the app starts, the line under the shutter may read **Loading the shade library…** – the library is being prepared, and a capture waits for it. ## Quick checklist You seeMost likely causeDo this**Looks …** (family only)No card selectedRetake with **White paper****No close recipe for this color**Unusual colour, or bad lightRetake; otherwise use the interpolated recipe as a first dip**White / brightened fabric**White or near-white clothNot measurable with a phone**ROUGH MATCH**Colour between library shadesUse the recipe and tuning tips; expect a correction## Related - [Read your result](https://abdohoo.app/help/shadecard/reading-your-result) - [Fix a rejected capture](https://abdohoo.app/help/shadecard/capture-rejected) - [Lighting and framing for a good reading](https://abdohoo.app/help/shadecard/lighting-and-framing) ## Frequently asked questions ### I used No card. Can I get the recipe without retaking? No. Without a reference the colour is the camera's unverified guess, so the app only names the family. Tap Retake with paper in the box and capture again. ### Why can't Shadecard measure white fabric? Most whites contain optical brighteners that glow under the UV in daylight. A phone camera under unknown light cannot account for that, so no recipe is offered. ### What is an interpolated starting recipe? When no curated shade is close enough to name, the app derives a recipe from the curated shades around your exact colour. It is badged as interpolated and should be treated as a first lab dip. ### Does a family-only or no-match result use a scan? Yes. Any fresh capture that produces a result screen counts as a scan; only rejected captures do not.