Change colors

Change the color

1. Turn on the Use Color radio button in the Material Properties dialog box to apply colors (rather than image maps).
   Tip

   To view the properties for a particular material, select an object with that material and press Ctrl+M.

2. Click the color swatch to change the hue from the Color window.

   Or, use the slider to change the intensity of the current color and leave the hue alone.

   
3. Click over a color in the color wheel to choose a hue.

   The new color appears in the swatches in both the Material Properties and the Colors window.

   The color status window shows the current color on top and the previous color you used on the bottom.

4. Use the SV (saturation and value) triangle to adjust the saturation and value of the color.
   
5. You can fine-tune the numerical color values from the tabs.

RGB (Red Green Blue)

A color space most commonly used in computer graphics and component video, where the three additive color components are mixed to create a color.

HSV (Hue Saturation and Value)

A color model that determines the shading and tint of a color. Hue corresponds to the pure color (as in the color wheel); saturation to the amount of white mixed with the hue (the vibrancy); and value to the amount of black mixed with the hue (the brightness).

L*a*b* (Luminance)

Luminance (L) ranges from 0 (black) to 100 (white). a describes the color position between red and green. Positive values of a indicate red, while negative values indicate green. b describes the color position between blue and yellow. Positive values of b indicate yellow, while negative values indicate blue. This model is the most complete description of all the colors visible to the human eye and is usually used as a reference for other color models.

Pick a color from the screen

1. Click the eyedropper icon in the color selector.

   The cursor changes to an eyedropper.

2. Click when the tip of the eyedropper is over the color you want to use.

Create a customized palette of colors

1. When you find a color you want to keep, drag the current color from the swatch to one of the palette spots at the bottom of the Color window.
   
2. To change a particular color in the palette, drag another color over top of it.