Attributes Palette

Use the Attributes palette and its various ink managers to create your own inks. Each ink type has its own manager. Flip open the managers to create inks, adjust inks in objects, and change the Presets palette’s inks.

To Open the Attributes Palette:

Do one of the following:

• In the Presets palette, click the Edit button.
• Choose Window | Palettes | Attributes.

Ink Managers

Six icons are located at the top of the Inks managers, which you click to access the available ink types and their respective managers: color, gradient, hatch, texture, symbol, and pattern. The circular icon with a diagonal line represents “no ink”.

Each ink type has its own manager so you create custom inks and add them to the Presets palette.

If you select color as the ink type, you can access the RGB, CMYK, Pantone, and HSL color systems.

Using the Ink Managers

Every ink manager shows a preview of the current ink. The preview changes as you modify the ink. If an object is selected, the ink is applied immediately. You can also drag the ink from the preview box to deselected objects.

To Edit an Object’s Ink:

Click the Pen Ink icon or Fill Ink icon. Then select an object; its ink becomes the current ink in the manager. Modify the ink.

To Make a New Ink:

Use the appropriate manager to customize the current ink.

Type a name in the text box to name it.

To Add an Ink to the Presets Palette:

Click the Add Preset button.

To Make an Ink the Current Ink:

Deselect any objects and click the Pen Ink icon or Fill Ink icon. Then select an ink in any of the managers.

To Apply an Ink Fill to a Deselected Object:

Drag the color from the preview box to the object.

To Apply an Ink Outline to a Deselected Object:

Shift + drag the color from the preview box to the object.

Creating Color Inks

The Color Manager gives you the ability to maintain and manage color inks by providing access to RGB, CMYK, Pantone, and HSL models. A Color Spectrum Strip is also available for quick color pickup of any color supported by Canvas X Draw.

Color Manager Controls

The Color Manager’s controls depend on the selected color system and model. Some controls are common among the different color models.

Color Systems

Use the drop-down menus to access to the various color controls. This will allow you to select a color matching system and select colors that are needed for commercial printing.

To Access the Color System Controls:

In the Attributes palette, click on a color system icon.

To Define Colors in Canvas X Draw:

Use CMYK, RGB, and Grayscale color systems.

Colors displayed on a monitor can only approximate the appearance of printed colors. Be sure to discuss color reproduction with your commercial printer and obtain accurate proofs for color projects.

CMYK

The CMYK color system is used in four-color process printing. Define colors as mixtures of Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), and Black (K) printing inks; e.g., to create green, mix cyan and yellow.

The CMYK system is appropriate for illustrations that will be separated for commercial printing.

RGB

The RGB color system is used in computer monitors. Define colors as mixtures of Red (R), Green (G), and Blue (B) light; e.g., to create purple, mix red and blue.

The RGB system is appropriate for graphics displayed on a monitor, such as presentations and Web pages.

Avoid RGB colors in documents intended for commercial printing. Canvas X Draw will convert RGB colors to CMYK colors if you output color separations.

Grayscale

The Grayscale model lets you define shades of gray. Grayscale colors are neutral when used with RGB or CMYK colors. In RGB Color images, grayscale colors are equal amounts of red, green, and blue. In image channels, Grayscale colors are pure gray. In vector objects, text, or CMYK Color images, Grayscale colors are percentages of black. In color separations, Grayscale colors appear as percentages of black.

HSL

The HSL models let you define RGB colors using Hue (H), Saturation (S), and Lightness (L) values. This way of defining colors is familiar to artists. HSL models let you adjust saturation and lightness, without changing a basic hue, such as red or green.

PANTONE

When you choose a PANTONE reference system color set, you can search for and select colors by name.

PANTONE can only be exported as a PDF.

Specifying Tints

Specify a tint color and amount in the CMYK or RGB system. Tinting with white screens the original color. The screen percentage is 100 minus the tint value; e.g., 80% white tint results in 20% of the original color.

For other tint colors, Canvas X Draw multiplies the tint values by the difference between the original and tint color values, and then adds the result to the original color values.

After creating a new ink, make sure you click the Add Preset button on the Attributes palette.

To Create New Color Inks:

1. Choose a color system and model from the drop-down menu. (See Color Systems.)
2. Use the Color manager controls to change the ink’s color values.
3. Click the left preview box to restore the original ink.
   • To name the ink: Type the name in the text box.
   • To define it as a spot color: Select the Spot Color box.
   • To apply the ink to non-selected objects: Drag it from the preview box to the objects.
   • To add the ink to the Presets palette: Click the Add Preset button on the Attributes palette. The new ink is added to the appropriate ink type; i.e., if you create a Pattern ink, the new ink is added to the Pattern type.

Creating Blends of Color Inks

Select two color cells and create a blend of colors to add to the color inks tab of the Presets palette.

To Blend Colors:

1. Select the Ink tab of the Presets palette.
2. Select color as the Ink type.
3. Click the ink cell that is to start the blend, then Ctrl-click the cell to end the blend.
4. Open the palette menu and choose Blend.
5. In the dialog box, enter the number of steps you want in the blend and then click OK. Canvas X Draw creates the blend and adds the new cells to the color inks at the end.

The Color Editor

In Canvas X Draw, dialog boxes and palettes that let you choose colors have a color icon that opens a pop-up color palette. On the color palette there is a color editor icon so you can access the Color Editor dialog box to create a custom color.

To Open the Color Editor:

1. Click the Color icon to see the color palette. 
2. Click the Color Editor icon to open the Color Editor dialog box.

The color icon appears in the following dialog boxes and palettes:

Click the Color icon to open a palette that has the color inks that are currently available in the Presets palette. Click the Custom icon to open the Color Editor dialog box.

Color Editor Dialog Box

To Create a Custom Color with the Color Editor Dialog Box:

1. Open the Color Editor dialog box. This dialog box is almost identical to the Color manager.
2. To use a different color model, click on the Color Model button and choose an option in the menu. Depending on the chosen option, the Color Editor shows a different set of controls. (See Color Manager Controls.)
3. Use the color controls to create a custom color.
4. To specify that you want the color you define to be a spot color, make sure you enter a name in the text box. Then select Spot Color.
5. When you have the color you want, click OK. The color appears in the Color icon.