Is there something I'm missing with the Canvas Color picking?

[Laura W.]

Brand New to Forums, so forgive me if I'm not in the right place. I also feel fairly new to ArtRage, and have been learning a ton from browsing and searching the forum...like in this thread on Custom picker utility.

But still had some issues with starting with the exact color I need. When designing with an Hex Code for the color, I found that the above custom picker was getting me close, but not exactly there, learned about and created Samples.

1) I've not been able to get the Samples to effect the Canvas Color...so I select the same, and then pull up the Precise Color Picker so as to see the Red, Green, Blue mix numbers, and then click the Color under the Canvas Setting and manually change the RGB there.

Suggest that the Samples effect the Canvas Color somehow. (I might be missing something, but I've tried all sorts of things like drag the color, etc, whatever intuitive computer trick I could think of - and let me just say that ArtRAGE programmers ROCK! There is SOooooo much that they have done to make ArtRAGE packed with almost every possible computer trick in the book! And I used to work WITH programmers 25 yrs ago, wishing for just a bit of ArtRAGE has done superbly!

2) I've also got a couple of colors that I've tried to load today into the Canvas Color, and it is pushing them to another number for some reason. I'm not up on how to check for out of gamut in my other software available right now... InkScape & GIMP. So I'm a little nervous about not being able to start with a needed color.
(Granted, this might be a glitch, I've not tried to restart my whole system, but have saved, restarted etc ArtRage, with no difference.)
Specific color is ee427c - Red 238, Green 66, Blue 124 which is being pushed to Blue 128.


Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Someonesane]

I'm not sure I fully follow what you're trying to do in all cases, but maybe I can help a bit.

In the case where you're trying to match the Canvas color to the color you've selected on the Color Picker or have on your Color Samples panel, you can open the Canvas Panel, select the Canvas Color option and then left click on any of the colors on the Color Picker or Color Samples panel (or anywhere else on the ArtRage Stage) to set that color on the Canvas Panel. This way, you shouldn't need to enter the numbers manually, at least.

For the case where the color is shifting, I'm not sure what might be causing that. I set the number you listed in my Precise Color Picker and it stayed set to those colors, with no problems (I'm using ArtRage 4.5.9).

[Laura W.]

Thanks Someonesane, I now realize I must have a glitch of some kind.

More Details probably for Tech Support:
I originally tried the left click on the Color in the Samples panel, and after a complete reboot of my system when I got home this evening, tried again the left mouse click of the "Samples color" when I had the Canvas Settings>Canvas Color option open. Though I'm seeing a little jumping of the color dot indicator, I'm not getting a good color change from the Sample color OR for that matter from the "ArtRage Stage" (assuming that's the color palette bottom right). Started with the Canvas Settings>Canvas Color option set displaying the LS/H Picker, and it seems to be having the most trouble with a stuck Hue. ie When picking colors from the Samples, I'll see slight movement in the RGB's values, and Luminance or Saturation, but the Hue is "most of the time" staying stuck. (it's bouncing around wildly now while I've got the program open multi tasking but clicking my mouse within this web browser window.)

This is acting so weird that I've loaded a screen recording up to YouTube which anyone can see here if they wish. ArtRage is so complicated, and I've found that I don't explain things anywhere near the level I used to be able to when I taught software to secretaries some 25+ years ago, or did phone support.

Forgot to say earlier, as I was in a rush to finish composing my 1st post before having to leave for the evening....that I'm running ArtRage 4.5.10 - 64 bit on a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro running Windows 10 Home Version 1511

Oh and there have been times when my display settings have oddly affected videos screen recordings - the mouse pointer specifically, because my screen display can be set as high as a 3200x1800. But I've not been able to figure out how to increase some of the icons/menus in some of my programs to a size I can see to work with, so I have my display currently set now as 2048x1152. Though I've not see any trouble with ArtRage being able to handle my display settings or mouse clicks except when I got to this Canvas Color issue.

Since these are mouse clicks, I guess I'll also note that earlier today, I had my Wacom Intuos Pro M tablet running Control Panel Version 6.3.11-4 & same Driver Version 6.3.11-4 connected and charging off of a 4 USB hub that my wireless mouse is also plugged into. Though I've not seen any troubles with the tablet or mouse within ArtRage before, but I also can't say for sure that I've ever tried to charge it while working inside ArtRage. Yes I've attempted to change/pick color with both the Mouse and/or the tablet pen and getting "no joy".

Probably TMI, but there it is. I can be very CDO, that's OCD for some of you where don't have an extreme case and have to put them alphabetical. (I'm a want to be artist, who was raised by two perfectionist, married one who tests that way, but really isn't, and mothered two who could also be classified as perfectionist, though we try to keep each other from going insane by mentioning when we swing to far. Really TMI now, so I'll try to get some sleep!) :cool: which was picked just to try and have things dark to sleep...lol

[Enug]

Welcome to the forum.

Viewing your video I see that you are clicking on the name of the colour and not the actual colour sample showing in the box. See if that makes a difference - it does for me.

Canvas lighting will affect the colour - after applying a canvas colour if you were to sample the canvas at various points with the colour picker you would get slightly different readings. Turning off the lighting results in no colour variation.

Hope that helps.

[HannahRage]

Aha, from the video, it looks like you're just clicking in the wrong place ^_^

When you click on the screen, it's literally just taking the colour from under your cursor, it's not loading the sample itself. So you're clicking around white background bits. If you look at that little box, right under the rainbow strip, it will show you the current colour that you have just picked.

Click on the colour box itself, and it will load THAT colour (just be careful of the edges, which have a little shadow effect going on).

[Laura W.]

ArtRage Canvas Color Issue

1) Great info given by everyone. Thanks for letting me know that the mouse actually becomes an eyedropper (Suggestion to have mouse pointer actually change to eyedropper when color picker is being used)...Normal Color Picker WAS working by clicking anywhere on the color SAMPLE Panel so I didn't realize that I should be using the color square itself.

BUT Even with those pointers, I still have a CANVAS Color Picker that doesn't respond correctly. I've toyed with it a lot today, trying to see if there is something reliable to it's malfunction, but then when I was skyping with my father, I got differing results, still not correct color picking for Canvas Color though.

Made another video of my results.

[Someonesane]

From what I'm seeing in that last video, I'd have to say that something's going haywire on your side. Once you've pulled up the Color Picker, by clicking on the Canvas Settings Canvas Color option, you should be able to click (and even drag) your mouse over any color on the screen to select whatever hue is beneath the mouse. So something is definitely preventing that on your end.

Just so you can what should be happening, I've put this video together: Video Link

[HannahRage]

The normal color picker works because the colour samples are an active color shortcut then; the canvas color doesn't let you interact with any of the other menus until you've finished editing the canvas settings (because it's an *overall* change and messing with smaller menus could cause problems).

And yes, as SomeoneSane says, something isn't working right with your cursor or the drivers or something else. To start with the really obvious do you normally have the mouse circle thing active? Or is that purely from the video recording?

[Laura W.]

1) The mouse circle is just a function of the video recorder I was using.

2) Should also be noted that Canvas Color picker isn't working withOUT having the general precise color picker open as well.
ie Canvas Color Picker couldn't pick from the palette in the bottom right, OR from paint dots I've placed on the canvas before going into Canvas Settings. So the only way I can successfully change the canvas color is through manual adjusting of the slides or input of numbers.

3) Drivers & such, I'm not up to speed on. I HAVE done several reboots to start with a clean slate so to speak, and trying to take all other variables out of the equation....like not using my USB hub, not having external HD hooked up, etc. (When I draw I've usually got external HD and graphics tablet and wireless mouse all attached)
but....
.....a - rebooting and only mouse yield no joy.
.....b - rebooting and only wacom tablet pen yields no joy.
So if it's a driver problem, sounds like I'm having troubles with BOTH drivers.

[HannahRage]

Okay, the first step for figuring out weird driver stuff is:

Open ArtRage and go to Edit > ArtRage Preferences > Input Settings.

Make sure that Wintab is ON and Precise Tablet and RealTime Stylus are turned OFF.
Restart ArtRage and test.
If that doesn’t help, turn Wintab OFF and RealTime Stylus ON
Restart ArtRage and test

(Wintab vs RTS doesn't actually matter, it's just a matter of finding out which one your system should be using).


If that doesn't help, try changing the setting for Press & Hold for Right Click. This is a tablet and touch input setting that can conflict with tablet drivers and software in strange ways.

Go to your Control Panel > Pen and Touch > Change touch input settings
Disable or enable ‘press and hold’ (whichever it currently is, change it)