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Module 5: Editing Image Colors

This module illustrates using the Image Colors Editor to edit and save the Image Color Tables.

Objective 1 - Fill Color Swatches

This objective illustrates how to fill the Color Swatches.

1. In the Main Display, load a Satellite IR on the CONUS Scale.

2. From the Toolbar, open the Image Properties Dialog Box.

3. From the Image Properties Dialog Box, press the Edit US IR Sat Button to open the Image Colors Editor. You can also open this dialog box from the pop-up menu of the Product Legend.

4. Select the RGB Color Model Check Button.

5. In the top half of the Editor Color Bar, click on the lime-green color.

Note: The upper Color Swatch is now filled with the lime-green color and the sliders and the Color Wheel have changed accordingly.

6. In the Color Bar, drag the top arrow Color Pointer to align with the left edge of the bright pink portion of the color table (about -50 C).

7. Now drag the bottom arrow Color Pointer and align it with the right-most edge of the bright pink portion (about -55 C) of the color table. Use the incremental < and >, or the << and >> Buttons for fine tuning the location of the arrow Color Pointers.

8. Click the upper Fill Button and observe that the lime-green color has replaced the pink both in the Color Bar and in the displayed satellite data.

Note: The arrow Color Pointers turn lime green as well.

9. Now try to fill the bottom Color Swatch with a different color and make adjustments to the existing IR Color Table. Notice the changes to the displayed image.

Objective 2 - Use Interpolate

This objective introduces you to interpolate commands of the Image Colors Editor.

1. From the Toolbar, clear the large display pane.

2. From the Scale option menu, select CONUS.

3. From the Satellite pull-down menu, select IR satellite data.

4. The Image Colors Editor Dialog Box and the Image Properties Dialog Boxes should already be open. Notice that the IR Color Table is in the Editor's Color Bar.

5. Select the RGB Color Model Check Button.

6. Drag the top Color Wheel Centroid to bright red, and move the bottom Color Wheel Centroid to dark blue. The top Color Swatch should be red and the bottom one blue.

7. Drag the upper Color Pointer all the way to the left of the Color Bar, and the lower Color Pointer all the way to the right.

8. Click the Interpolate button. The new color table has a gradual transition from red on the left to blue on the right.

Note: The IR Satellite Image in the large display pane has this new Red-to-Blue Color Table.

9. Select the Undo button, which applies the previous color table.

10. Select the Redo button, which applies your newly made (red and blue) color table.

11. Select the Revert button, which resets to the original color table.

12. Now try moving the arrow Color Pointers and selecting different colors to interpolate. Also, try changing the Color Model to HSB and practice different interpolations.

13. Keep the CONUS IR Satellite for the next objective.

Objective 3 - Change the Color for a Specified Temperature Range

This objective illustrates how to change the color for a specific range of temperatures. It is equally applicable to other units (for example, reflectivity [dBZ]).

1. Press the Revert button on the IR Satellite Image to set color table to its default.

2. Fill the upper and lower Color Swatches with two different colors of your choice.

3. In the Color Bar, in the middle of the dialog box, drag the upper arrow Color Pointer until it is pointing to the color associated with +20.0C (this is somewhere in the gray scale).

4. Click on the upper Set Button and notice how the Color Bar changes. This color now represents +20.0C in the displayed image. Notice how the image has changed to highlight the 20.0C value.

5. Drag the upper and lower Color Pointers in the Color Bar so that they delineate the range of temperatures that fall between +10.0C and -15.0C.

6. Click on the upper and lower Fill Buttons and notice how the Color Bar and the image change.

7. Click on Undo. This takes you back one edit. Click on Undo again. You are now back to the color table status before your last two edits.

8. Click on Redo twice. This brings you forward two edits.

9. Select the HSB Color Model, and then click the Interpolate button. Observe the changes.

10. Keep the CONUS IR Satellite for the next objective.

Objective 4 - Edit an Existing Color Table and Save as a New One

A simple way to edit an existing color table is to stretch or compress it using Mouse Button 2.

1. From the D2D File pull-down menu, select User ID..., select your user ID and click the "OK" button. Your ID then appears in the D2D Title Bar in brackets after the Title Bar title.

2. Open the Image Colors Editor. In the Image Colors Editor, press the Revert button to go to the default Color Table.

3. In the Image Colors Editor, move the upper arrow Color Pointer all the way to the left, and the lower arrow Color Pointer all the way to the right.

4. In the Image Colors Editor, move the mouse cursor over the pink colors (about -50C), press and hold Mouse Button 2 and then drag the cursor to the left along the Color Bar about 1 inch and release.

The original color table is redrawn and stretched to the newly specified boundaries. Then the new color table is immediately displayed in the IR satellite imagery.

5. Press the Save As... button and type a unique name for your new color table. The new name and your user ID appear in the title bar of the Image Colors Editor.

Note: You can delete a color table using the Delete button.

Objective 5 - Edit Color Tables for Four-Panel Image Products

As of Build 5.1.1, you can edit the color tables of a Four-Panel Image Product. This objective illustrates how.

1. From the Toolbar, clear the large display pane and select the CONUS scale.

2. From the Satellite pull-down menu, select 4 Panel. Four different satellite images appear.

3. Over one of the four panels, press Mouse Button 3 and select Control Color of This Image.  A large green 'I' appears in the lower left corner of the panel, and the Image Properties Dialog Box immediately appears.

4. Modify the color table as you wish, or replace the color table with a new one.

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