More about colors: GenetX, Color Space, Memory, Color shift.
Behind the small button under
F and B color are hidden millions of complex procedural textures.
The reason for the name GenetX is because each procedure is defined by DNA code
and by changing the numbers in the DNA, we can create mutations
of the textures. The next page will explore the GenetX
window.
When an object uses GenetX color procedures, the button will change
its color to : 
This will tell
you that the F color is used as the GenetX procedural color, which doesn't have to be
solid. With the other options (Texture Mix,
Screen or 3D) we can create new completely original textures.
 |
Here are a few examples of an object created using the GenetX texture with a combination of various settings and lights. There is a virtually unlimited number of combinations and mutations, and you could spend whole days just exploring this vast area. Read more in the GenetX section. |
If the object is a bitmap, then this button will change
to: 
. This means that instead of F color, the colors
(the image) from the bitmap will be used. Clicking on this button
will reveal the bitmap effects window
with many standard and exotic bitmap effects available. (Sharpen,
Boost, Alias, Boss...) All the other options will have the same
effects.
See next page for instruction on working with the GenetX.
Color Space and Color Memory
To select a foreground color with better accuracy, and to be able to get many shades, you can use the Color Space bar. To be able to preserve any color, foreground or Background, you can use Color Memory.
Working with the color memory is easy - to recall a color, you just click on any color square with the left mouse button for foreground or the right mouse button for background color. To store a color you need to hold CTRL while clicking on a square. Basically you can find an empty square, by scrolling down the color memory, or replacing an already assigned one. Holding CTRL and left clicking will store the current foreground color and right clickinf will store the current background color.
This is one of the most unique and powerful tools provided for illustrators.
If you are making an original illustration, you can design the
objects of the illustration in such a way that they will always
mix F color with the texture in some ratio. More F than texture.
Later, if you want to change the color
tone of the whole picture, you just select all the desired objects,
and from menu: Object select Shift Color. This will
shift the F color of all selected objects toward the desired new
color. The illustration will change its color tone depending
on the ratio of color/texture mix. See the example image, where
we designed a phone with a blue housing. The illustration itself
has more than 80 objects. We grouped the 19 blue housing objects
into one group (CTRL-G). Now we can change the color of the housing
by selecting the group and using the Shift Color command, where
we select the color from blue towards red.
