Choose colors

To choose a color by using the default color palette
To choose a color by using a color palette
To choose a fill color by using a color viewer
To sample a color
To choose a web color
To replace an out-of-gamut color with a reproducible 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. For information about saving colors for future use, see Color styles.

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

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To
Do the following
Choose a fill color for a selected object
Click a color swatch.
Choose an outline color for a selected object
Right-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.

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You can display color values by pointing to a swatch.

To display color names instead of color values, click the Options flyout button  at the top of the default palette, and click Show color names. This action undocks the default color palette and displays the color names.

An example of a pop-up color palette

To choose a color by using a color palette

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1 Select an object.
2 Double-click the Fill button on the status bar.In the Edit fill dialog box, click the Uniform fill button .
3 Enable the Color palettes option.
4 Choose a color palette from the Palette list box.
5 Move the color slider to set the range of colors displayed in the color selection area.
6 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 .
Choose an outline color
Double-click the Outline button on the status bar. In the Outline pen dialog box, open the Color picker, and choose a color.

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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. For more information, see To replace an out-of-gamut color with a reproducible color. For information about color correction, see Color management.

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. For more information about reproducing colors accurately, see Color management.

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

To choose a fill color by using a color viewer

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1 Select an object.
2 Double-click the Fill button on the status 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 .

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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. For more information, see To replace an out-of-gamut color with a reproducible color. For information about color correction, see Color management.

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.

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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 More color options button and choosing Swap colors.

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

To sample a color

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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.
Add the sampled color to the Document palette
On the property bar, click the arrow next to Add to palette, and choose Document palette.
Sample an additional color
On the property bar, click the Select color button , and then click the color that you want to sample.
 
You can also
 
Drag a sampled color from one object to another
Drag the color to another object.
Apply a sampled color from the Selected color swatch on the property bar
Drag the sampled color from the Selected color swatch to the object.
Apply a sampled color from the Uniform fill swatch in the lower-right corner of the drawing window
Drag a color from the Uniform fill swatch to the 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.

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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.

To choose a web color

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1 Select an object.
2 Click Window Dockers Color.
3 In the Color docker, click the Show color viewers button , and choose RGB from the list box.
4 Type or paste a value in the Hex value box.
Whether you use a three-digit (#fff) or six-digit format (#ffffff), the final value is presented in the six-digit format.
5 Click one of the following buttons:
• Fill — fills the selected object with the new color
• Outline — applies the color to the outline of the object

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You can specify hexadecimal color values only when working with RGB colors.

If you type an invalid hexadecimal value, the color does not change.

You can view hexadecimal color values on the status bar.

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You can also choose web colors from the Outline Pen dialog box (on the status bar, double-click the Outline pen button ) and the Edit Fill dialog box (on the status bar, double-click the Fill button , and click the Uniform fill button ), which let you view and copy the hexadecimal equivalents of non-hexadecimal color values.

To replace an out-of-gamut color with a reproducible color

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1 Select an object.
2 Double-click the Fill button on the status bar.
3 In the Edit fill dialog box, click the Uniform fill button .
4 Choose a color.
5 If the color is out of gamut, the Bring color in gamut button appears, showing a color similar to the newly selected color but in the printer’s gamut. Click the button.
The new color is replaced, and the Bring color in gamut button disappears.

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