The present invention provides aqueous self-inspecting wet coatings or films that dry to form translucent to clear weather-resistive barriers on a substrate, preferably a building substrate such as sheathing. The coatings comprise, as a wet film, one or more aqueous emulsion or dispersion polymer that can form a film in use conditions and less than 6% pigment volume concentration (% PVC), of one or more opacifier, one or more extender in amounts up to critical % pigment volume concentration (CPVC), optionally, one or more pigment, and substantially no void, hollow core, or hollow sphere containing pigment. The coatings or films enable one to apply the correct amount of coating to make a weather barrier that dries to a see-through coating or film.