Color, Strokes, and Fills > Color modes

 

Color modes

Color modes are methods for defining colors in a computer application. Each mode has different benefits and drawbacks depending on whether you plan to present a drawing online or in print. Color mode also becomes important when you import or export artwork.

In FreeHand, you can define colors using four color modes:

CMYK color components represent the process inks used in four-color printing.

RGB (red, green, and blue) is used for onscreen display, including Web and multimedia design. RGB values range from 0 to 255 for each color.

HLS (hue, lightness, and saturation) color mode produces RGB colors. This system is useful for picking different colors with similar values, for example, highly saturated colors of different hues.

The System Color Picker (Windows) and the Apple Color Picker (Macintosh) display the colors installed in the operating system. The System Color Picker lets you choose from 48 basic Windows colors. The Apple Color Picker lets you define colors as CMYK, RGB, HLS, HSV (hue, saturation, value); you can choose from the 60-color Crayon picker or the 216-color Web HTML picker.