Color Tool How to
Modify Colors
Save the Color Table
Changing the Color Table
The Color Tool first appears with the current color table (or B-W LINEAR if no color table is current). The color table can be changed simply by specifying another of the 17 predefined system color tables, or you can modify an existing table to create a custom color table.
Choosing a System Color Table
The list of the 17 predefined system color tables is accessed by the following procedure.
1. Select Color Table=>System from the menu bar. The System Color Tables dialog box appears.
2. Choose a different color table from the dialog box by clicking MB1 on the color table name. The new color table appears and is applied to all active VDA Tools.
3. When you are satisfied with the color table, click on the Dismiss button.
Choosing a Custom Color Table
1. Select Color Table=>Custom from the menu bar. The Custom Color Tables dialog box appears.
2. Choose a custom color table from the dialog box by clicking MB1 on the custom color table name. The custom color table appears and is applied to all active VDA Tools.
3. When you are satisfied with the color table, click on the Dismiss button.
Changing a Range of Colors
You can change a range of colors within the color table by using the ramp functions found in the Edit menu. The procedure for modifying a range of colors includes the following steps.
1. Select the color table location to begin the ramp. Do this by positioning the cross-hair pointer over the color cell in the color table, and then click MB1.
When the color is selected, its color table index number appears in both the Selected Color and the Ramp Start text fields in the controls area.
 
note
The colors for the beginning and end points of the ramp can be modified before the ramp function is applied.
2. Select the color table location for the ramp end. Position the cross-hair pointer on the color cell and press <Shift>-MB1. The selected color’s index number appears in the Selected Color and Ramp End text fields.
3. Select the appropriate ramp function (Linear Ramp, Exponential Ramp, or Logarithmic Ramp) from the Edit menu. The ramped colors appear in the color table between the specified ramp start and ramp end points.
Changing a Single Color
You can change an individual color in the color table by using a color wheel, or by manipulating the sliders in the controls area.
Using the Color Wheel
The color wheel is based on the HSV color model.
 
note
The color wheel only affects one color index, which is shown in the window title. A new color wheel must be opened for each additional color to be changed.
The procedure for changing a single color using the color wheel includes these steps.
1. In the Color Tool, select the color to be modified in one of the two following ways:
*Position the cross-hair pointer over the color to be modified and click MB1.
*Select the color by typing the index number in the Selected Color text field.
If MB1 is used to select the color, the index number is shown in both the Selected Color text field and the Ramp Start text field.
 
note
The numerical values for hue, saturation, and value are shown in the Color Tool, if you set the Color Model to HSV prior to selecting the color wheel.
2. Select Edit=>Color Wheel from the Color Tool menu bar. A Color Wheel dialog box appears with the index number of the selected color in the title.
On the color wheel, hue is controlled by the color selection position around the circle (the Red axis is 0 degrees, the Yellow axis is 60 degrees, and so on to 360 degrees); saturation is controlled by the relative (0 to 100%) radial length from the center of the circle to the selected point; and value is controlled between 0 (dark) and 100 (bright) using the Value slider in the controls areas of the Color Wheel dialog box.
3. To modify the color, do the following:
*To change the hue and/or saturation, position the cross-hair pointer on a location in the color wheel, and click MB1 to select the new color.
*To change the value, use the Value slider. Do this by clicking MB1 in the slider track on either side of the slider (this adjusts the value setting by 10 from its previous position); or by clicking and dragging MB1 on the slider; or by clicking MB1 in the slider text field and typing in the desired value (you must press <Return> to apply the new value).
 
note
Use the Reset button to return the color wheel to its original setting at any time.
4. When you are satisfied with the color changes, click on Dismiss.
Using the Color Sliders
You can change a single color using the sliders in the controls area of the Color Tool. The slider names and values associated with the three color models (RGB, HLS, and HSV) are listed in Table 4-1: Color Models.
 
Color Models
Color Model
Sliders (top to bottom)
Value Range
 
RGB
Red
0 to 255
Green
0 to 255
Blue
0 to 255
 
 
HLS
Hue
0 to 360 degrees
Lightness
0 to 100%
Saturation
0 to 100%
 
 
HSV
Hue
0 to 360 degrees
Saturation
0 to 100%
Value
0 to 100%
The procedure for changing an individual color using the three sliders includes these steps.
1. Select the color location to be modified in one of the two following ways:
*Position the cross-hair pointer over the color to be modified and click MB1.
*Select the color by typing its index number location in the Selected Color text field and then press <Return>.
If MB1 is used to select the color, its index number is shown in both the Selected Color text field, and the Ramp Start text field.
2. The sliders are adjusted any of these three ways:
*Click and drag MB1on the slider.
*Position the pointer in the slider track and click MB1. The slider is adjusted by 10% of the maximum slider value for each click.
*Click MB1 in the slider text field and type in the desired value. Press <Return> to apply the new value to the slider.
Saving the Color Table
If you have made modifications to a pre-existing color table (system or custom), you may want to save your changes for future use. There are two types of save procedures you can use to accomplish this: saving a custom color table, or saving the Color Tool.
Saving a Custom Color Table
Any modifications made to single color locations or to a range of colors amount to customizing the color table. The “customized” color table can be used for the duration of your current PV-WAVE session, and it can be saved in a directory of custom color tables for future use.
After you have modified a color table, you can save it as a custom color table for future sessions by doing the following:
1. Select Color Table=>Save Custom from the menu bar. The Save Custom Color Table dialog box appears.
If other custom color tables have been previously created, they are listed in the Custom Color Tables list box.
2. If you want to overwrite an existing custom color table with the current one, click MB1 on the existing custom color table name. Otherwise, position the pointer in the New Color Table Name text field and click MB1 to activate the cursor in the text field.
3. Type in the name for your custom color table. When you are satisfied with the name, click on OK, or press <Return> to accept and dismiss the dialog box.
 
note
This method for saving a custom color table saves only the colors in the image and plot color tables; the settings in the Color Tool controls area are not saved.
Custom color tables are saved in files that are placed, by default, in your home directory. The file .wg_colors is used to hold custom image colors, and .wg_plot_colors holds the custom plot colors. Note that these same files are used by other PV-WAVE procedures that are used to manipulate color tables. These procedures include WgCeditTool and WgCtTool. If you use one of these “Wg” routines to add or delete a color table, the custom color tables you saved with Color Tool can become out of synch and unexpected results can occur.
Saving the Color Tool
Saving the VDA Tool saves the colors in the image and plot color tables and all of the settings in the controls area of the Color Tool.
Color Tool Controls Area
Color Model—Selects the color model to use to display your data. The choices are: RGB, HLS, and HSV. Color models are discussed in detail in the PV‑WAVE User’s Guide.
Slider Controls—Adjusts, individually, the three elements that comprise each color model. The names of the three sliders change depending on the color model chosen.
Selected Color—Displays the selected color index. To select a color index, position the cross-hair pointer on the color table location and click MB1 (see Ramp Start) or <Shift>-MB1 (see Ramp End). The location can also be chosen by typing the location number in the selected color text field.
Ramp Start—Displays the color index used to start the ramp. Choose the location for the start of the ramp by positioning the cross-hair pointer and clicking MB1. Use the Ramp Start and Ramp End text fields to specify where in the color table to apply a ramp function to from the Edit menu.
Ramp End—Displays the color index used to end the ramp. Choose the location by positioning the cross-hair pointer on a cell in the color table, and pressing <Shift>-MB1. Use the Ramp Start and Ramp End text fields to specify where in the color table to apply a ramp function from the Edit menu.
Image Colors—An indexed grid display containing the available colors in the current image color table. The maximum color index displayed in the Image Colors grid is shown at the bottom right corner of the grid, and is sometimes dependent on other, simultaneously running applications.
Plot Colors—An indexed grid display of the available color table plot colors. The index numbers for the first and last color in the Plot Colors grid are shown just above and below the starting and ending cells in the top and bottom rows. Plot colors are used to color graphical elements such as boxes, lines, axes, text, and legends.