Frame Up Part Three…Adding Color

One of the things I breezed by in my last post was the instruction to pick a color.  If you click the drop-down arrow beside almost any field that is labeled Color or that is used to select a color, the same color dialog appears.

Click the graphic to see your options. Note that if you are using Word 2003, you will not have the Theme Colors options. Your final option, More Colors..., shows additional dialogs with more color options.

Standard Tab

The standard colors on this tab are web safe colors that will show well online. If you plan to convert your document to a PDF and post it on the web, you might want to consider using one of these colors so that you get expected results. As for matching colors, you're on your own.

1. Click a color.
2. Click the OK button. The dialog closes, and the color appears in the Color field.
3. Click the OK button to save the changes.

Custom Tab

If picking colors is your thing, this dialog is for you. You can create exact shades by adjusting the Red, Green, and Blue entries.

1. Click in an area that is closest to the color you want to define. The system adds a cross hair to mark the area you clicked, updates the color slide bar with shades of that color, and adds numbers in the Red, Green, and Blue fields to define the color.
2. Use the color slide bar to adjust the color you are defining. Click the left-facing arrow and pull down or just click anywhere on the slider to move the arrow.
3. Enter specific numbers in the Red, Green, or Blue fields to fine tune your color.
4. Write down your color definition. You won't remember it later.
5. Click OK to save your color selection. The dialog closes, and the color appears in the Color field.
6. Click the OK button to save the changes.

You also have the option of changing the Color model. I normally don't do so; however, you might want to investigate this option.

Comments

In almost every instance when I have had to choose colors for a Microsoft product, the dialogs shown here are the dialogs I've used. Therefore, if you are interested in color, it's worth your time to learn to use the dialogs. You'll see and use them again and again.

Personal Note

I'm sorry I disappeared for the better part of the week. The man in my life had a health issue and we were dealing with it. I was fretting far too much to be able to post anything that was coherent. He's much better now...so am I!