A quick tour of the Color Mapping Rules dialog box (Production Mapping)

Color mapping rules allow you to replace colors displayed on a map or chart with other colors during export to PDF using the Production PDF exporter. These rules specify an input color and a replacement output color. You can convert between colorspaces through the Color Mapping Rules dialog box. You access this dialog box from the Production tab on the Export Map dialog box.

The Color Mapping Rules dialog box
The Color Mapping Rules dialog box with RGB input colors converted to CMYK output colors.
NoteNote:

Conversions between RGB and CMYK may appear inexact. Converting RGB to CMYK must convert 3 components representing color intensity to 4 that represent saturation percentage. Converting CMYK to RGB may result in data loss as RGB uses fewer color components to describe its color.

Once you have defined color mapping rules, you can save them to an .xml file. This allows you to share and reuse rules.

Color selection

Input colors can come from the map display. You can define your own input colors using the Input Color Selector dialog box. The Input Color Selector dialog box can create input colors in RGB or CMYK colorspaces only. You use the Output Color Selector dialog box to define output colors in RGB, CMYK, Spot, or All (typically used to define printer marks). The output color can also be defined to be a null color (no color). Null colors cannot be defined as input colors.

NoteNote:

The Input Color Selector dialog box is accessed by double-clicking the Input cell in the Color Mapping Rules dialog box. Double-click in the Output cell to access the Output Color Selector dialog box.

The Input Color Selector dialog box

The Color Mapping Rules dialog box context menu

The Color Mapping Rules dialog box has rows of colors and columns that contain descriptive information about those colors. Right-clicking any row displays a context menu. Holding down the Select or Ctrl keys when a row is selected allows multiple rows to be selected. Not all context menu commands are enabled or work when multiple rows are selected.

The Color Mapping Rules dialog box context menu

Option

Description

Note/Active Status

Add Input Color

Creates a new color mapping rule with input color in the dialog box. The default value of the input color matches the existing selected rule or CMYK 100 100 100 0 if no rule exists.

Always active

Edit Input Color

Changes an existing input color in the dialog box

Active when multiple input colors exist in the dialog box

Add Input Raster

Adds an 8-bit grayscale raster color mapping rule to the dialog box

Active when a grayscale raster color mapping rule does not exist in the dialog box

When a grayscale raster color mapping rule exists in the dialog box, the Go to Input Raster command is displayed.

Go to Input Raster

Selects the grayscale raster color mapping rule in the dialog box

Active when a grayscale raster color mapping rule exists in the dialog box and is not currently selected

When a grayscale raster color mapping rule does not exist in the dialog box, the Add Input Raster command is displayed.

Delete

Removes a color mapping rule from the dialog box

Active when one or more rules are selected

Add Input Raster

Adds an 8-bit grayscale raster color mapping rule to the dialog box

Always active

Cut

Removes a color mapping rule from the dialog box and places it on the clipboard

Active when a rule is selected in the dialog box

Copy

Copies a color mapping rule from the dialog box and places it on the clipboard

Active when a rule is selected in the dialog box

Paste

Pastes a color mapping rule from the clipboard onto the dialog box

Active when a rule is either cut or copied

Clear Output Colors

Clears an output color from a color mapping rule in the dialog box

Active when all selected rules contain output colors

Copy Input to Output

Copies an input color to its corresponding output color column

Active when one or more rules are selected

Edit Output Color

Changes an output color in the dialog box

Active when one rule is selected

Replace Output Colors

Pastes an output color from the clipboard to an existing rule in the dialog box

Active when a color mapping rule was copied earlier and one or more rules are selected

Options on the Color Mapping Rules dialog box context menu

Related Topics

6/8/2015