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Creating custom color schemes

If you’ve tried various preset color schemes but haven’t found one that’s quite right, you can use the Color Scheme Designer to modify any of the colors in an existing scheme (to create a new one) or create your own named scheme from scratch.

Modifying existing color schemes

To modify a color scheme:

1. From the Schemes tab, select a color scheme to be modified from the list.

2. Select Color Scheme Designer… from the Tools menu.
   – or -
   Click on the Schemes tab’s  Tab Menu button and choose Color Scheme Designer… from the drop-down menu.

   The Color Scheme Designer dialog appears.

3. From the Color Scheme list at the right of your dialog, each of the five scheme color numbers has its own drop-down list, showing available colors in the PagePlus palette.
   Click the down arrow on the scheme color you want to modify. (Additionally, you’ll see options for web publishing scheme colors for Hyperlink, Followed Hyperlink, Active Hyperlink, Rollover Hyperlink, Background and On-page.)

   

4. Select a new color from the palette or from the Color Selector (click More Colors…).

5. Click OK. This saves the scheme locally (i.e., just for the publication) and shows in the Swatches tab for easy color assignment.

• To store the modified scheme under a new scheme name in the Schemes tab, jump to the dialog’s Color Scheme tab and click Save As. Alternatively, the Save option just overwrites the preset. Both options make the new scheme global (available to all new publications).

Creating custom schemes from color spreads

The Color Scheme Designer lets you create eye-catching custom color schemes from color spreads.

To start, you choose a base color on which to build your scheme, then you pick from a selection of color spreads—grids of colors based on established color theory models. Each spread suggests different color choices for your scheme.

• Monochromatic (shown above) – derived from variations of lightness and saturation on the chosen base color.

• Complementary – derived from variations of the base color and of the color that sits opposite it on the color wheel.

• Triadic – derived from variations of three colors (one of which is the base color), spaced equally around the color wheel.

• Tetradic – derived from variations of four colors, arranged around the color wheel in two complementary color pairs.

• Analogous – derived from variations of colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, where the center color is the base color.

• Accented Analogous – as for Analogous but, as for Complementary, also includes the color opposite.

To create a color scheme from scratch:

1. Select Color Scheme Designer… from the Tools menu. The Color Scheme Designer opens, with the currently active scheme displayed in the right-hand scheme list.

2. From the Color Spread tab, choose a base color on which the scheme is to be built. Several methods are possible:

• Using the color wheel: click in the outer ring of the color wheel to choose a color hue, and then click inside the triangle to adjust the saturation and tint. The new base color is set in the Base Color swatch.

The base color is the color directly under the marker that sits inside the color wheel’s triangle.

• Entering HSL or RGB values: use the sliders or input boxes to specify a base color exactly.  

• Drag-and-drop: drag a color from the Color Scheme list onto the color wheel (or base color swatch).

  

With any method, the base color updates to show the new color.

3. Select a color spread type from the Spread drop-down list.

    

   The color spread, a grid of suggested colors, updates according to the c hosen spread type. The spread offers a range of suggested colors to choose from. The number of colors presented may differ with the spread type.

4. (Optional) Use the Angle and/or Contrast slider to modify the spread.

5. Once you’re happy with the spread colors offered, you can create your scheme either via:

6. one-click: click the Populate button next to the Base color swatch. The site color scheme is updated automatically with multiple colors.

7. color-by-color selection: drag individual color(s) from the grid onto a scheme color on the Color Scheme list.

   

6. To apply the scheme, click OK. The color scheme is now updated and stored in the publication.

7. To save the scheme globally so it can be used in other publications, jump to the Color Schemes tab, then click Save As….

Creating custom schemes