Principle of design

Balance

Alignment

Hierarchy

Contrast

Understanding Colour Psychology

Colour meaning

Colour theory

Colour wheel

Colour scheme

Colour Model

Color models

Color models provide a precise method for defining colors, each model defining colors through the use of specific color components. There is a range of color models to choose from when creating graphics.

CMYK color model

The CMYK color model, which is used in printing, uses the components cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) to define color. Values for these components range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages.

In subtractive color models, such as CMYK, color (that is, ink) is added to a surface, such as white paper. The color then “subtracts” brightness from the surface. When the value of each color component (C,M,Y) is 100, the resulting color is black. When the value of each component is 0, no color is added to the surface, so the surface itself is revealed — in this case, the white paper. Black (K) is included in the color model for printing purposes because black ink is more neutral and darker than blending equal amounts of cyan, magenta, and yellow. Black ink produces sharper results, especially for printed text. In addition, black ink is usually less expensive than using colored ink.

Black is the result of combining the three CMY colors at their highest intensities.

RGB color model

The RGB color model uses the components red (R), green (G), and blue (B) to define the amounts of red, green, and blue light in a given color. In a 24-bit image, each component is expressed as a number from 0 to 255. In an image with a higher bit rate, such as a 48-bit image, the value range is greater. The combination of these components defines a single color.

In additive color models, such as RGB, color is produced from transmitted light. RGB is therefore used on monitors, where red, blue, and green lights are blended in various ways to reproduce a wide range of colors. When red, blue, and green lights are combined at their maximum intensities, the eye perceives the resulting color as white. In theory, the colors are still red, green, and blue, but the pixels on a monitor are too close together for the eye to differentiate the three colors. When the value of each component is 0, which signifies an absence of light, the eye perceives the color as black.

White is the result of combining the three RGB colors at their maximum intensities.

RGB is the most commonly used color model, because it allows a broad range of colors to be stored and displayed.

HSB color model

The HSB color model uses hue (H), saturation (S), and brightness (B) as components for defining color. HSB is also known as HSV (with the components hue, saturation, and value). Hue describes the pigment of a color and is expressed in degrees to represent the location on the standard color wheel. For example, red is 0 degrees, yellow is 60 degrees, green is 120 degrees, cyan is 180 degrees, blue is 240 degrees, and magenta is 300 degrees.

Saturation describes the vividness or dullness of a color. Values of saturation range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages (the higher the value, the more vivid the color). Brightness describes the amount of white in the color. Like saturation values, brightness values range from 0 to 100 and represent percentages (the higher the value, the brighter the color).

HSB color model

Grayscale color model

The grayscale color model defines color by using only one component, lightness, which is measured in values ranging from 0 to 255. Each grayscale color has equal values of the red, green, and blue components of the RGB color model. Changing a color photo to grayscale creates a black-and-white photo.

Grayscale color model

Color depth

Color depth refers to the maximum number of colors an image can contain. Color depth is determined by the bit depth of an image (the number of binary bits that define the shade or color of each pixel in a bitmap). For example, a pixel with a bit depth of 1 can have two values: black and white. The greater the bit depth, the more colors an image can contain, and the more accurate the color representation is. For example, an 8-bit GIF image can contain up to 256 colors, but a 24-bit JPEG image can contain approximately 16 million colors.

Usually, RGB, grayscale, and CMYK images contain 8 bits of data per color channel. That is why an RGB image is often referred to as 24-bit RGB (8 bits x 3 channels), a grayscale image is referred to as 8-bit grayscale (8 bits x channel), and a CMYK image is referred to as 32-bit CMYK (8 bits x 4 channels).

Regardless of how many colors an image contains, the image displayed onscreen is limited to the highest number of colors supported by the monitor on which it is viewed. For example, an 8-bit monitor can display only up to 256 colors in a 24-bit image.

Choose Color

You can choose fill and outline colors by selecting a color from the Document palette, custom color palettes, palettes from the Palette libraries, or color viewers. When you want to use a color that already exists in an object or document, you can sample the color by using the Color eyedropper tool to achieve an exact match.

For information about applying the colors you choose, see Uniform fills and Format lines and outlines.

Default color palette

A color palette is a collection of color swatches. In some programs, color palettes are known as “swatch palettes.”

In CorelDRAW, the default color palette is based on the primary color mode of the document. For example, if the document’s primary color model is RGB, the default color palette is also RGB. For more information, see Color models. You choose the default color model when you create a new drawing. You can open and use additional color palettes at any time.

You can choose both fill and outline colors by using the default color palette. The selected fill and outline colors appear in the color swatches on the status bar.

Document palette

When you create a new drawing, the application automatically generates an empty palette, called the Document palette. It helps you keep track of the colors that you use by storing them with your document for future use. For more information, see Document palette.

Palette libraries and custom color palettes

The color palettes that are found in the Palette libraries cannot be edited directly. Some of them are provided by third-party manufacturers, for example PANTONE, HKS Colors, and TRUMATCH. It may be useful to have on hand a manufacturer’s swatch book, which is a collection of color samples that shows exactly what each color looks like when printed.

The PANTONE solid coated palette is an example of a color palette from the Palette libraries.

Some palettes found in the Palette libraries — PANTONE, HKS Colors, TOYO, DIC, Focoltone, and SpectraMaster — are collections of spot colors. If you create color separations when you print, each spot color requires a separate printing plate, which can significantly affect the cost of the printing job. If you want to use color separations but would like to avoid using spot colors, you can convert the spot colors to process colors when printing. For more information, see Color separations.

Custom color palettes can include colors from any color model, including palettes from the Palette libraries, such as a spot color palette. You can save a custom color palette for future use. For more information about working with custom color palettes, see Create and edit color palettes and Organize and show color palettes.

Sampling colors

When you want to use a color that already exists in a drawing, palette, or on your desktop, you can sample the color to achieve an exact match. By default, you sample a single pixel from the drawing window.

Color viewers

Color viewers provide a representation of a range of colors by using either one-dimensional or three-dimensional shapes. The default color viewer is based on the HSB color model, but you can use this viewer to choose CMYK, CMY, or RGB colors. For information about color models, see Color models.

An example of a color viewer

Choosing web colors

You can use web colors when you design documents that will be published to the web. With CorelDRAW, you can define web colors by using RGB hexadecimal values (for example, #aa003f).

Out-of-gamut colors

If you choose a color that is out of the printer’s gamut, CorelDRAW allows you to replace it with a similar color that is in the printer’s gamut.

To choose a color by using the default color palette

 

To	Do the following
Choose a fill color for a selected object	Click a color swatch.
Choose an outline color for a selected object	Control-click a color swatch.
Choose from different shades of a color	Click and hold a color swatch to display a pop-up color picker, and then click a color.
View more colors on the default color palette	Click the scroll arrows at the top and bottom of the color palette.

You can display color values by pointing to a swatch.

An example of a pop-up color palette

 

To choose a color by using a color palette

1 Select an object.

2 Click the Interactive fill  tool in the toolbox, and then click the Edit fill  button on the property bar.

3 In the Edit fill dialog box, click the Uniform fill button .

4 Enable the Color palettes option.

5 Choose a color palette from the Palette list box.

6 Move the color slider to set the range of colors displayed in the color selection area.

7 Click a color in the color selection area.

 

You can also
Display or hide the names of colors	Enable or disable the Show color names check box.
Swap the reference color (original color of the selected object) with the new color	Click the Swap colors button .

Each spot color swatch on a color palette is marked with a small white square .

If you choose a color that is out of the printer’s gamut, CorelDRAW allows you to replace it with a similar color that is in the printer’s gamut.

You should use the same color model for all colors in a drawing; the colors will be consistent and you will be able to predict the colors of the final output more accurately.

You can also access color palettes in the Color inspector by clicking the Show color palettes  button, and choosing a palette from the list box. If the Color inspector is not open, click Window  Inspectors  Color.

 

To choose a fill color by using a color viewer

1 Select an object.

2 Click the Interactive fill  tool in the toolbox, and then click the Edit fill  button on the property bar.

3 In the Edit fill dialog box, click the Uniform fill button .

4 Enable the Color viewers option.

5 Choose a color model from the Color model list box.

6 Choose a color viewer from the Color viewers list box.

7 Move the color slider.

8 Click a color in the color selection area.

 

You can also
Sample a color from the drawing or desktop	Click the Eyedropper button , and click the drawing or desktop.
Swap the reference color (original color of the selected object) with the new color	Click the Swap colors button .

If you choose a color that is out of the printer’s gamut, CorelDRAW allows you to replace it with a similar color that is in the printer’s gamut.

You should use the same color model for all colors in a drawing; the colors will be consistent and you will be able to predict the colors of the final output more accurately. It is preferable to use the same color model in your drawing that you will be using for the final output.

You can swap the Old color (the current main or secondary color) and the New color (which has been chosen in the color selection area) by clicking the Additional color preferences button  and choosing Swap colors.

You can also access color models in the Color inspector by clicking the Show color viewers button  and choosing a color model from the list box. If the Color inspector is not open, click Window  Inspectors  Color.

 

To sample a color

1 In the toolbox, click the Color eyedropper tool .

2 On the property bar, click one of the following buttons:

• 1×1  — lets you choose the color of the pixel you click

• 2×2  — lets you choose the average color in a sample area of 2 × 2 pixels. The pixel you click is in the middle of the sample area.

• 5×5  — lets you choose the average color in a sample area of 5 × 5 pixels

If you want to sample a color outside the drawing window, click Select from desktop on the property bar, and click a color on the desktop.

3 Click the color that you want to sample.

The Color eyedropper tool automatically switches to the Apply color mode.

4 Perform a task from the following table.

 

To	Do the following
Fill an object with a sampled color	Hover over an object. When the Apply color pointer changes to a solid color swatch , click to apply the sampled color.
Fill an object’s outline color with the sampled color	Hover over an object’s outline. When the Apply color pointer changes to an outline shape , click to apply the sampled color.

 

You can also
Drag a sampled color from one object to another	Drag the color to another object.
Add the sampled color to the Document palette	Drag the sampled color from the Selected color swatch or the Uniform fill swatch to the Document palette.

In some cases, the sampled color may be an RGB or CMYK color that is the closest equivalent to the original color, rather than being a complete match.