Choose Color
A number of functions provide advanced
color choices through The Print Shop's Choose Color dialog.
The Choose Color window will open when
you:
- Click on the Change Color button in the Text
or the Shapes and Lines sections of the Ribbon Tabs.
- Choose the Color category in the Project Backgrounds section of
the Ribbon Tabs.
- Click on the Change button next to Color when
adding a shadow to a photo, a shape, or text.
- Click on the Change button next to Color in
the Matte Properties dialog when a shape or photo is selected.
Palette Tab
The easiest way to select colors is to
click on one of the color squares on the Palette tab.
For this or any other method of
choosing colors, the Preview area will show the chosen color; the
color on the left or top is the original color and the color on the
right or bottom is the newly selected color.
Swatches Tab
Another easy way to select colors is
to click on one of the color squares on the Swatches tab. The
Swatches tab includes varying shades of the similar colors.
HSV Tab
HSV (short for Hue, Saturation, and
Value) is useful for adding or removing white, black, and gray in
the color, as well as lightening and darkening a color.
- Move the slider next to the color bar up and down to choose the
desired hue or type it into the H field.
- Click on the circle in the large color box and drag it around
to add or remove white, black, and gray.
- You may type values directly into the HSV boxes, or click on
the up and down arrows next to the box.
RGB Tab
RGB (short for Red, Green, and Blue)
is a standard method of choosing colors.
- Move each slider bar (Red, Green, and Blue) back and forth to
add or reduce the amount of each color in the composite color.
- An absence of the color is 0, while 255 represents the maximum
amount of that color.
Picker Tab
This tab allows you to pick a specific
color that is on the current page.
- Move your mouse around in the page view area at the top left of
the tab.
- The zoom area at the top right of the tab will show a pixel by
pixel view of your cursor's position in the page view area.
- To select a color, move the mouse around in the page preview
area and click (left mouse button) when the black crosshair is over
the color you would like to select. The color will now appear in
the Preview area at the bottom of the window.
- To select a different color, repeat the last step by clicking
when the crosshair is over the desired color.
- If the current page does not have the color you want, click on
the Prev or Next buttons to move
to a different page.
Favorites Tab
The Print Shop allows you to store
your favorite colors.
- To save a color to the Favorites tab, pick a color on any of
the other tabs and click on the Add to Favorites
button.
- The Print Shop will store up to 20 favorite colors. After you
have used all 20 slots, the oldest color will be removed the next
time you add a new color to your favorites.
- To choose a color from the Favorites tab, click on the color
square.
Gradient Tab
Some color selections include a
gradient option.
The top horizontal color bar shows the
current gradient. The small squares above the bar are the gradient
colors. A gradient in its simplest form is a smooth blend between 2
colors.
The gradient can be modified in the
following ways:
- To change to color of the gradient, click on one of the small
squares above the linear gradient representation. Then, click on
the square next to Color to choose a new color. The options are
essentially the same as the Color Chooser.
- To move the start position of colors in the gradient, click and
hold on one of the small squares while dragging the mouse. This
will determine where the blend of colors starts.
- Click on the Add or Delete buttons to Add or
Delete additional colors to the gradient (the
gradient can consist of many colors blending together).
In the Options area:
- Choose an option from the Style box to determine how the
gradient will fill the headline text.
- Drag the small circles in the Preview area on the right side to
determine the direction and the length of the gradient.
- The Type options will determine how the gradient repeats, if
the gradient length is set to make it repeat. Choosing None will
only apply the gradient in between the two circles. Choosing
Reflect will repeat the gradient, alternating left to right and
then right to left. Choosing Repeat will start the gradient over,
working left to right every time.
- The Reverse checkbox will determine where the
gradient effect starts.
- Click OK to apply the gradient.
After selecting the desired color in
any of the tabs, click OK.
