why does flat black look grey

[euroteknique]

i have been looking at many pics online i'm painting my car flat black
but the car still looks grey and most pics i see online the car is grey if its clear coated sure the color gets nice and deep but shiny.

ever seen an exhaust tip after a long while especially after it runs rich? that's black
is it because the car / paint is smooth? so it reflects light making it look lighter? where true black reflects no light so its really black. So would it have to have a tecture to be really black?

like when you use a spray can from to far away and it dries when it hits the surface leaving it rough.

[spitfire481]

flatteners are white/milky. it will add a lighter looking hue to any color you put it over

[euroteknique]

what can be done to paint the car black not grey

[spitfire481]

A higher quality flattener and clear can help some. It's just part of what happens when you spray a flattened clear over a color, it masks it slightly

[HavokRuels]

stop painting cars flat black. It's almost as bad as the rusted hood trend.