How do I create a palette from an existing image?

[JQP]

I tried the dropper but it seems to sample a very small area and I need to sample a larger area. I tried the clone but it seems that's a way to paint with another painting, when I want to basically recreate the palette from another image, not the image itself.

[Jin]

Hi mysterious person I'll have to watch over at WetCanvas! from now on, ;)

What you want (in Corel Painter terms) is not palette, but a Color Set.

Palettes are, for example:

Layers
Channels
Scripts
Text
Papers
Patterns
Brush Controls.... etc.

Then there are Custom Palettes to hold brush cateogry icons and menu command buttons.


Color Sets can be made easily:

From any image
From a Layer
From a selection
From the Mixer pad
By creating a new empty Color Set, then adding colors one by one


Read the following to learn how to use the Color Sets palette:

Painter IX (or Painter X) Help > Help Topics > Contents tab > Color

On the right panel, click the link named Working with Color Sets.

On the next page, read the sections named:

Using Color Sets
Customizing Color Set Layouts
Creating Color Sets
Editing Color Sets

You might also want to read the last section, Annotating Colors, but it's not as important for what you want to do as the other sections are.


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[JQP]

Ah, okay thanks Jin. Seems I was making it more complicated than it had to be (creating a color from a selection sounds right).

[JQP]

Now I'm back where I started. When I grab a color from a selection it doesn't sample (i.e., average) it, but grabs all the colors and makes them available. I like that, but I also need to get a color sampled from the whole selection.

[Jin]

Use the Mixer palette to mix the colors until you get a mix you like, then use the Mixer palette Dropper tool to pick the color or colors you like and add them to a Color Set. Or just use the Mixer palette Dropper tool to pick, then paint.

That's what a traditional artist would do and that's why the Mixer palette was added a couple of versions back (Painter 8 I think)... so we can mix colors like a "real" artist. Seriously, lots of Painter users come from a traditonal painting background and wanted a way to mix colors without picking up white from the Canvas (or whatever color it was).

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[JQP]

Yeah I was just trying something similar by using blender brushes within the selection before using the dropper. I'll give the mixer a go too. Thanks Jin!

[bdfoster]

Someone recently recommended decreasing the resolution on an image to the point where it completely pixellates on you. (40 or 50 pixels on a side is a reasonable range). Then simply zoom in and grab the ones you want.

[Jin]

JQP,

Just thought of another thing you might try:

Select a few pixels, copy, then Edit > Paste Into New Image.

Use Effects > Focus > Super Soften and type a number you think might work. If it doesn't work, Undo and try another number.

It's a very fast way of blending colors. Sorry I forgot about it 'til now.

On the left is the selection of pixels. On the right are the same pixels after I used Effects > Focus > Super Soften 50.00 pixels:

http://www.pixelalley.com/demos/super_soften_50_to_average.jpg

Just an example. You could use fewer pixels and get a different result.


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[JQP]

Thanks bd, Jin, I'll try those too.