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Palette Editor

The Palette editor, illustrated in Figure 5-6 lets you change the colors of the Workbench.

Figure 5-6.

Palette Preferences Editor Window

On Amigas with the AGA chip set, the left side of the Palette Preferences editor window displays either the four or eight current Workbench colors in the selection gadget, a color wheel, a gradient intensity indicator, and color sliders that can be RGB (red, green, blue) or HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) depending on your Slider Color Model menu selection. (RGB is the default setting.)

On Amigas with the ECS chip set, a gadget labeled Color Wheel... is displayed in place of the color wheel. Click on this gadget to display a screen containing the color wheel and intensity indicator. When you have made your color selection on this screen, press OK to activate it or Cancel to cancel. Pressing their gadget returns, you to the Palette Preferences editor window.

The right side of the Palette Preferences editor window has a Color Mode cycle gadget with two settings: Multicolor Settings and 4 Color Settings. The Multicolor Settings gadget is for setting eight Workbench colors. The 4 Color Settings gadget is for setting four Workbench colors. Both modes should be set ti accommodate editors and applications that use one setting or the other.

The Palette Preferences editor window displays the following nine window items for which you can select specific colors:

Below the Workbench items list is a color selection gadget containing four or eight color boxes similar to the color selection gadget above the color wheel.

Depending on the display mode, width, and height set in the ScreenMode Preferences editor, the bottom of the Palette Preferences editor window can display a sample window that changes as you change color selections. This display shows the elements contained in a typical Workbench window, including a screen title bar. If the sample does not appear on your Palette Preferences editor window, a Show Sample gadget is displayed instead. Clicking in this gadget displays the sample window showing your color selections. You can click on the items in the sample to select the elements whose colors you wish to change.

You can choose the color or item you wish to change by clicking on:

The following four methods can be used to change colors or their shade:

Changing the black and white settings can affect the three-dimensional appearance of the screen. Be sure colors replacing black are darker than colors replacing white.

To change color using the color wheel:

  1. Point to a color in the selection gadget above the color wheel or below the Workbench items list and click the selection button.
  2. Point to the color intensity indicator (the highlighted dot within the color wheel) and hold down the selection button.
  3. Moving the mouse pointer moves the indicator on the color wheel, changing the color in the display box and on the sample screen as the indicator moves. Release the selection button when you reach the color you want.

To change a color's shade using the gradient slider:

  1. Point to a color in the selection gadget above the color wheel or below the Workbench items list and click the selection button.
  2. Point to the highlighted bar within the gradient slider and hold down the selection button.
  3. Moving the mouse pointer up or down within the gadget lightens and darkens the color.

To change a color in RGB mode:

  1. Point to a color in the selection gadget above the color wheel or below the Workbench items list and click the selection button.
  2. Use the slider gadgets to change the selected color. The color in the display box and on the sample screen changes as the bar is dragged through the slider box.

To change a color in HSB mode:

  1. Point to a color in the selection gadget above the color wheel or below the Workbench items list and click the selection button.
  2. Use the slider gadgets to change the selected color. The color in the display box and on the sample screen changes as the bar is dragged through the slider box.

The Hue slider changes the basic color, the Saturation slider changes the amount of color, and the brightness slider changes the lightness or darkness of the color.

In addition to the standard Preferences menus, the Palette editor also has a Presets menu item in the Edit menu that contains predetermined color settings and a Settings menu item that lets you determine which Slider Color Model to use for changing your colors.

If you have a monochrome monitor or if you choose a color setting 0f 2 in the ScreenMode Preferences editor, the Palette Preferences editor only displays RGB color sliders.

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