Applying Colors Using the Color Mixer

The Color Mixer dialog box is used to specify and apply color to elements in your design.

To view the Color Mixer, do one of the following:

• From the View menu, select Color Mixer.
• Click the Color Mixer icon on the Standard toolbar.
• Press M on the keyboard.

When you select an object, its fill color is displayed in the swatch button in the upper-left corner of the Color Mixer. When multiple objects are selected, the Color Mixer displays the color of the lowest selected object in the DesignEditor.

Color Mixer

Use the dropdown list in the upper-right corner of the Color Mixer to specify a color model: RGB, CMYK, LAB, Spot, HSV, or Duotone.

Once you specify which color model to use, there are several ways to specify a color in the mixer:

• Enter numerical values in the number fields or click the up/down spin buttons.
• Click and drag the channel sliders.

  

• Click or click and drag the mouse over the color picker at the bottom of the Color Mixer. When you locate the color you want, release the mouse button.

  

Using the Color Mixer, it is possible to specify colors that are beyond the boundaries of the selected color space. When this happens, a warning icon will appear next to the color swatch, along with a smaller swatch that is actually a functional button.

• Click the Gamut Correction button to adjust the color so that it fits within the target gamut.

After you click the button, the color is redefined, and both the icon and the gamut correction button disappear.

The warning icon only appears when you are viewing objects in RGB, LAB, or HSV color space. The software checks to see if the color you specified can be reproduced accurately in CMYK color space, based on the active printer profile you selected in the Color Settings dialog box.

• If you do not correct the gamut, the color you selected will not print accurately. (See Configuring the System for Color Printing for more information.)