The Color Mixer dialog box is used to specify and apply color to elements in your design.
The Color Mixer can be opened in a few different ways:
- Click the Color Mixer Icon on the Standard Toolbar
- Go to View > Color mixer
- "M" is the default keyboard shortcut to open the Color Mixer
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.
Use the drop-down list in the upper-right corner of the Color Mixer to specify a color model: RGB, CMYK, LAB, Spot, HSV, or Duotone. To get a better understanding of each of these color modes, read: Available Color Modes
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.