So I've been playing Thief 2 recently (with the gamma way low so that I don't feel ridiculous sneaking by people in slightly dim light), and I was wondering if black really is the best color to wear in the dark to be less visible. Sure, in really dark places it would work wonders, but in normal shadows and places that aren't pitch black, I could see some other colors being much better alternatives.

My main ideas are dark red, grey, dark blue, and a sorta musty yellow. Grey might work better in shadows than black, as something much too dark would stick out in dim light too. The others are based on how the human eye works in low light conditions; red and blue are on opposite sides of the spectrum, so it must be pretty hard to see one at night, right?

Red is the color that your eye notices the least, this is biological. It's why airplane cockpits use red lighting during night flights.

System.Drawing.Color.Transparent

If it is truly dark and your eyes have adjusted to scotopic vision (rods instead of cones), then your vision is monochromatic (basically, without color). So, color doesn't matter.

But, if the scene is somewhat lit, then red is the least visible.

Less visible than black and grey though?

Also, firefox thinks grey should only be spelled gray.

The color of your face.

Thank God for that!

Dark red.
The second least visible though (and the one that some people argue is the very least visible), is dark green, which didn't even make your poll =s

thats pretty gray

Are you sure? I thought our eyes had adapted to see green better than any other color.

I know that a dim red light is less likely to ruin your eyes' adaptation to darkness than a dim light of any other colour, but is it really as simple as "you can't see it very well"? Many amateur astronomers swear by using a dim red LED torch or similar to read charts when they're observing at night. If you just "couldn't see" the light then surely a red light would be no use for this purpose? I always thought that you can see it but it just doesn't make your eye "react" by losing its adaptation to the darkness (as much as other colours would, at least).

It makes a big difference if it's a light source or just static color, though. Yes, the red light doesn't hurt night sight, but a deep crimson in the dark will blend in and effectively turn black.

Outside of video games, I don't think stealth works by standing in plain sight regardless of shadow density, lighting, color. Excluding extremely deep shadows, a silhouette stands out and you'd have to be pretty blind or lack alertness not to see it. Standing out of line of sight is how stealth works in the real world. Cover and the like.

Almost, yellow-green is actually the most reactive color (and why many firetrucks now are painted in the color). Green is still pretty high up there though.

Mmmm Thief 2.

I think more importantly would be the materials worn would need to be quiet, and not carry anything reflective. If you can, get something made from carbon nanotubes :p

Indigo

In light, yes, in dark it's a whole different ballgame.
Ever seen a dark green car going past at night? The colours blend in with the darkness, they're damn near invisible