Digital Photographer's Software Guide - Bertemes - Net

Chapter 30 ■ Color Tools 349
Figure 30.2
HVC Color Composer Professional, running here in Photoshop Elements, helps you create harmonious
palettes.
The concept of choosing colors based on their contrast with other colors was one
pursued by Albert H. Munsell (1858–1918), who developed a color-notation system
based on hue, value, and chroma dimensions. It was used for many years to identify the
colors for mixing paints. HVC Color Composer extends Munsell’s very practical
approach, bringing it up-to-date with computer processing. It can identify any colors
that will be out-of-gamut in printing and it marks them as such.
HVC Color Composer has the same basic layout as the color picker in Photoshop and
performs much the same function, but with different results. You can limit the number
of colors in a palette using Accuracy and Depth controls, and then export them to
Photoshop’s Swatches palette. If you want, this can become your chosen palette for all
the applications in Creative Suite.