New Color Match Page: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:05, 11 October 2025

Video Work Along Tutorials (0.9+)

Thanks to Danny at NeoKoi Prints for these Color Match Crash Course videos:

What is Color Match?

Color Match is a Mesh Mode (formerly called a luminance mode) introduced in version 0.8.0 and updated in version 0.9.x. It is a mode that greatly differs from the usual operations of other HueForge mesh modes. Instead of the source image creating a mesh from the image intensity (luminance), in Color Match mode, the colors you select by dragging from the image onto the Mesh Core creates the mesh. The Mesh Core defines on what layer a color will be put. If you want red in the background, you put it at or near the bottom, if you want blue, you put it there, etc. That is, this mode matches a color to a layer, rather than to a luminance value.

Understanding the Color Core and the Mesh Core

One of the biggest differences in this mode is that there are two cores between the image and preview panes. The one to the left is the standard Color Core, while there is an added Mesh Core to its right with a number of controls between the two. Learning the purpose and operation of the Mesh Core is fundamental to using the Color Match mode successfully. Making full use of this mode takes some practice but once grasped it opens up a whole realm of possibilities the other modes cannot match.

Most of the controls that were in docks in previous versions of HueForge are now housed in toolbars at the top or bottom of the version 0.9+ application window. Likewise, Color Match is initiated from the appropriate toolbar by selecting that option from the Mesh Mode drop-down menu.

To help understand the two cores, let's work through to example prints, one very simple and one advanced.

A Simple Example

Mesh Core

After loading your image, assembling colors on the Mesh Core is the essential first step in the Color Match workflow. For the purpose of illustration, let's start with a very simple image that might be possible in another mode just to illustrate the Color Match workflow.

Click this link to access the example image and download or drag it into HueForge: Media:Pixel_Tree.png

Once loaded into HueForge, it will appear in the default grayscale of the Standard Mesh Mode.

The first step after selecting the Color Match Mesh mode is to get colors from the image. This is easily done by Ctrl-dragging (Cmd-drag in MacOS) using the cursor from the image onto the Mesh Core. Filaments can also be dragged from the library to the Mesh Core, though some image derived colors help to improve the blending of gradients of color in the final model. When active (surrounded be a cyan box), the image preview on the left reflects the model mesh as defined by the Mesh Core.

Drag a Green from the Image.

Colors derived from the source image and placed on the Mesh Core are normally blended in the same manner as they would if they were "real" filaments. Then the program seeks to match the resulting spectrum of colors to the filament colors that you add to the Color Core later in the workflow (or sliders, if using, though the sliders are not fundamental in versions going forward). There is little or no blending for this simple image because the colors were specifically made flat.

The mesh core allows you to build the filament painting's mesh by picking colors and placing them on the Mesh Core (or the sliders). Colors placed on the lower layers of the mesh core will be laid down first (for example, the background of an image) and then build its way upwards as you add colors to the Mesh Core.

Once the Mesh Core preview is satisfactory, operation switches to the Color Core.

Unfinished ...

Color Core

The next step in the process after setting up the Mech Core is to move to the Color Core, by clicking on it or by pressing the green arrow button at the bottom between the two cores. Do not be surprised by the preview that results, as it is likely to be in grayscale, since it only has your default filament set on it at this point.

The next step is to select filament colors that match or approximate the corresponding colors found on the Mesh Core. They can come directly from your Owned library filaments by dragging to the color core, as with other modes. Or they can be matched to the colors previously placed on the Mesh Core by right-clicking on the filament flag (or a two-finger press on a track pad or an Apple mouse) and selecting Find Closest Filament. This sorts the filament Owned and Unowned library lists putting the best matching colors at the top of each list. Colors on the image can also be used in much the same manner by right-clicking at a location on the image.

An Advanced Example

Mesh Core

Now let's advance to an image that would be nearly impossible to render satisfactorily in any of the other Mesh Modes, that is the image from the "Van Gogh Style Field.hfp" example in the HueForge/Tools folder.

Click this link to access the example image and download or drag it into HueForge: Media: Van Gogh Style Field.webp

(Note: This image is from the HueForge/Tools project by that name but would need to be exported from it since all the example projects store their images internal to the project file.)

To further illustrate this process, the image, taken from the HueForge/Projects folder is shown here with black and white filaments (at the top and bottom, designated with five sided outlines) and six image derived colors on the Mesh Core (designated by six sided outlines). It is meant to show a Mesh Core as one might begin to define the color layers there. Note that the preview image on the left is only a representation of the image resulting from the "fake" filaments shown. A preview of the likely print results is developed in the Color Core part of the workflow that follows.

An important distinction to note is that the TD values of an image derived color is 1 by default. It is very often useful, even necessary, to adjust this value to better match actual filaments to be applied to the Color Core later in the process. Pressing T while hovering over a color flag shows the value. Either scroll up/down or use the up/down arrow keys to change the values in increments of 0.5. Hold the Ctrl key to change the values in steps of 0.2.

Specifically, the example shown above is shown below with all the TD values shown, as revealed by pressing the green TD button (toggles) to the left of the Mesh Core near its bottom.

Take care to change 'only' the image colors and not the values of any actual filament on either of the cores. If that happens, save your work, leave HueForge while rejecting any filament library saves and then reopen you project to avoid permanently altering the values unintentionally.

Though there are clearly some shortcomings at this point in the development, such as the miscolored flowers and clouds and some missing reddish-brown details, this example illustrates the basic function of the Mesh Core.

Once the Mesh Core preview is satisfactory, operation switches to the Color Core.

Color Core

The preview image on the left will not change to reflect the selected colors until the color core is selected by clicking on it or using the arrow control button at the bottom right of the core. It is not entirely bad to wait to do this until all or most of the first set of colors are in place on the core, because the image will become falsely colored with each partial set of colors. This can be downright scary to watch. For example, this is what it would look like if the first dark blue filament selection was used to replace the first default gray filament

Delaying the selection until an initial set of the colors is in place results in a more pleasing first impression of the print preview that results. For example, it might look something like this with seven filaments placed in appropriate places on the Color Core.

While it is not perfect, this is a good start. Not too bad for just seven filament colors. It needs a reddish-brown, some work on the colors in the clouds, and refinement of the greens and yellows. Accomplishing this might require an increase in the Blend Depth and/or reduction of the layer height to accommodate more colors.

Here is an attempt with just seven filament colors with 0.04 mm layer heights. Note that this also employes the Bright Enhance 1 Brightness Compensation with a weighting of 1.4 as well as the Fast Spike Removal. To limit the number of different filaments the white was reused to provide lighter versions of several colors. Using a yellow in multiple places can also help to blend greens into lime colors and reds into oranges. This approach widens the color pallet available from a limited number of filaments

So, is this an exact replication of the original image? Obviously not. But at some point in the development, it might be best to stop looking at the original and just decide whether the preview represents the print you would be pleased to have.

Final Tips and Techniques

While doing the final editing it is often useful to add a filament just to see how it works in the composition. In the event it doesn't work, the filament can be disabled by hovering over its flag on the Color Core and pressing the spacebar or right-click and select the Disable or Delete Slider option. Hitting the delete key also works to delete the filament. The disable function can be toggled on and off by pressing the spacebar to allow easy comparison.
The Matching algorithm is adjustable at the bottom of the image pain. It is initially in the Default CM setting. Other selections are as shown. It is useful to try the options reasonably early in development to determine which is best for your particular image.
Images with soft gradient colors benefit a lot by putting more colors off of the image on the Mesh Core.
When working on the Color Core, after setting up the Mesh Core, lay out the filaments in ways that approximates the spectrum of colors on the Mesh Core. In doing that, remember it is possible to blend a white over a primary color to blend toward a pastel color. This can help limit the number of filaments needed and greatly expand the pallet of colors available.
Vertical equal signs in a core means that color is saturate at that layer. If it is in the Mesh Core, that layer will not be used to match colors in the preview. If it is in the Color Core, the blending of that color is not changed and if it is in the uppermost layer HueForge will truncate the model at the last unsaturated layer.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Video Work Along Tutorials (0.9+)==
-[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVvv9MbTWAc| Color Match Basics: Lesson 1 Two Colors]
+Thanks to Danny at NeoKoi Prints for these Color Match Crash Course videos:
-[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D_ogqUKdgQ| Color Match Basics: Lesson 2 Three Colors]
+**[https://youtu.be/xBePJlYU3zg?si=ZR0VxOwbRIzlldR1| Lesson 1]
+**[https://youtu.be/1qCN3MWJdZM?si=jvBS72YI3n9ZgGkH| Lesson 2]
+**[https://youtu.be/cIrGPaCTSg8?si=qfqWMFUnAO7TReIo| Lesson 3]
 ==What is Color Match?==
-Color Match is a Mesh Mode (formerly called a luminance mode) introduced in version 0.8.0 and updated in version 0.9.x. It is a mode that greatly differs from the usual operations of other HueForge mesh modes. Instead of the source image creating a mesh from the image intensity (luminance), in Color Match mode, the colors '''you select''' by dragging colors from the image onto the Mech Core to create the mesh. The Mesh Core defines on what layer a color will be put. If you want red in the background, you put that at or near the bottom, if you want blue, you put that at the bottom etc. That is, this mode matches a color to a layer, rather than to a luminance value.
+Color Match is a Mesh Mode (formerly called a luminance mode) introduced in version 0.8.0 and updated in version 0.9.x. It is a mode that greatly differs from the usual operations of other HueForge mesh modes. Instead of the source image creating a mesh from the image intensity (luminance), in Color Match mode, the colors '''you select''' by dragging from the image onto the Mesh Core creates the mesh. The Mesh Core defines on what layer a color will be put. If you want red in the background, you put it at or near the bottom, if you want blue, you put it there, etc. That is, this mode matches a color to a layer, rather than to a luminance value.
 ==Understanding the Color Core and the Mesh Core==
-One of the biggest differences in this mode is that there are two cores between the image and preview panes.  The one to the left is the standard Color Core, while there is an added Mesh Core to its right with a number of controls between the two.  Learning the purpose and operation of the Mesh Core is fundamental to using the Color Match mode successfully.  Making full use of this mode takes some practice, but once grasped it opens up a whole realm of possibilities the other modes cannot match.
+One of the biggest differences in this mode is that there are two cores between the image and preview panes.  The one to the left is the standard Color Core, while there is an added Mesh Core to its right with a number of controls between the two.  Learning the purpose and operation of the Mesh Core is fundamental to using the Color Match mode successfully.  Making full use of this mode takes some practice but once grasped it opens up a whole realm of possibilities the other modes cannot match.
-[[File: Color Match Cores.png|500px|center]]
+[[File: Color_Match_Mode.png|500px|center]]
-Color Match is initiated from the appropriate toolbar by selecting that option from the Mesh Mode drop-down menu.
+Most of the controls that were in docks in previous versions of HueForge are now housed in toolbars at the top or bottom of the version 0.9+ application window. Likewise, Color Match is initiated from the appropriate toolbar by selecting that option from the Mesh Mode drop-down menu.
 [[File: Mesh_Mode_Dropdown.png|250px|center]]
-===Mesh Core===
+To help understand the two cores, let's work through to example prints, one very simple and one advanced.
-After loading your image, assembling colors on the Mesh Core is the essential first step in the Color Match workflow.  For the purpose of illustration, lets start with an image that would be nearly impossible to render satisfactorily in any of the other Mesh Modes, that is the image from the "Van Gogh Style Field.hfp" example in the HueForge/Tools folder.  Note that the example will need to be loaded into HueForge and the image exported somewhere to be able to follow the process presented here (see File => Export Project Image) since all the example projects store their images internal to the project.
+===A Simple Example===
-Once exported, clear HueForge with the Ctrl-N hotkey (or the File => New Project menu item) and then load the image (not the project) from the location you selected earlier.  This can be found in the File menu or with the Ctrl-I hotkey.  (Note:  For future reference,  the Windows hotkeys will be used throughout this article, MacOS users please read them as Cmd-Key unless noted otherwise.  Linux people, your on your own, sorry.)
+====Mesh Core====
-Colors from the image can be Ctrl-dragged (Cmd-drag release Cmd in MacOS) using the cursor from the image onto the Mesh Core.  Filaments can also be dragged from the library to the Mesh Core, though some image derived colors help to improve the blending of gradients of color in the final model.  When active (surrounded be a light blue box), the image preview on the left reflects the model mesh as defined by the Mesh Core.
+After loading your image, assembling colors on the Mesh Core is the essential first step in the Color Match workflow.  For the purpose of illustration, let's start with a very simple image that might be possible in another mode just to illustrate the Color Match workflow.
-Colors derived from the source image and placed on the Mesh Core are blended in the same manner as they would if they were "real" filaments. Then the program seeks to match the resulting spectrum of colors to the filament colors that you add to the Color Core later in the workflow (or sliders, if using, though the sliders are not fundamental in versions going forward).
+[[File: Pixel_Tree.png|250px|center|A Pixelated Tree Image]]
+Click this link to access the example image and download or drag it into HueForge: [[Media:Pixel_Tree.png]]
+Once loaded into HueForge, it will appear in the default grayscale of the Standard Mesh Mode.
+[[File: Simple_Example_Image.png| The Mesh Core (cyan surround) |thumb|500px|center]]
+The first step after selecting the Color Match Mesh mode is to get colors from the image.  This is easily done by Ctrl-dragging (Cmd-drag in MacOS) using the cursor from the image onto the Mesh Core.  Filaments can also be dragged from the library to the Mesh Core, though some image derived colors help to improve the blending of gradients of color in the final model.  When active (surrounded be a cyan box), the image preview on the left reflects the model mesh as defined by the Mesh Core.
+[[File: A_Color_Drag.mp4|500px|center|thummb|Drag a Green from the Image.]]
+Colors derived from the source image and placed on the Mesh Core are normally blended in the same manner as they would if they were "real" filaments. Then the program seeks to match the resulting spectrum of colors to the filament colors that you add to the Color Core later in the workflow (or sliders, if using, though the sliders are not fundamental in versions going forward).  There is little or no blending for this simple image because the colors were specifically made flat.
 The mesh core allows you to build the filament painting's mesh by picking colors and placing them on the Mesh Core (or the sliders). Colors placed on the lower layers of the mesh core will be laid down first (for example, the background of an image) and then build its way upwards as you add colors to the Mesh Core.
+Once the Mesh Core preview is satisfactory, operation switches to the Color Core.
+Unfinished ...
+====Color Core====
+The next step in the process after setting up the Mech Core is to move to the Color Core, by clicking on it or by pressing the green arrow button at the bottom between the two cores.  Do not be surprised by the preview that results, as it is likely to be in grayscale, since it only has your default filament set on it at this point.
+[[File: Start_Color_Core.png| Color Core Preview |thumb|500px|center]]
+The next step is to select filament colors that match or approximate the corresponding colors found on the Mesh Core.  They can come directly from your Owned library filaments by dragging to the color core, as with other modes. Or they can be matched to the colors previously placed on the Mesh Core by right-clicking on the filament flag (or a two-finger press on a track pad or an Apple mouse) and selecting Find Closest Filament.  This sorts the filament Owned and Unowned library lists putting the best matching colors at the top of each list.  Colors on the image can also be used in much the same manner by right-clicking at a location on the image.
+===An Advanced Example===
+====Mesh Core====
+Now let's advance to an image that would be nearly impossible to render satisfactorily in any of the other Mesh Modes, that is the image from the "Van Gogh Style Field.hfp" example in the HueForge/Tools folder.
+[[File: Van Gogh Style Field.webp|250px|center]]
+Click this link to access the example image and download or drag it into HueForge: [[Media: Van Gogh Style Field.webp]]
+('''Note:''' This image is from the HueForge/Tools project by that name but would need to be exported from it since all the example projects store their images internal to the project file.)
+[[File: Example_Image.png| The Mesh Core (red surround) |thumb|500px|center]]
 To further illustrate this process, the image, taken from the HueForge/Projects folder is shown here with black and white filaments (at the top and bottom, designated with five sided outlines) and six image derived colors on the Mesh Core (designated by six sided outlines).  It is meant to show a Mesh Core as one might begin to define the color layers there.  Note that the preview image on the left is only a representation of the image resulting from the "fake" filaments shown.  A preview of the likely print results is developed in the Color Core part of the workflow that follows.
-[[File:Mesh_Core.png|500px|center]]
+[[File:Mesh_Core.png| Mesh Core Preview |500px|thumb|center]]
+An important distinction to note is that the TD values of an image derived color is 1 by default.  It is very often useful, even necessary, to adjust this value to better match actual filaments to be applied to the Color Core later in the process.  Pressing T while hovering over a color flag shows the value.  Either scroll up/down or use the up/down arrow keys to change the values in increments of 0.5.  Hold the Ctrl key to change the values in steps of 0.2.
+Specifically, the example shown above is shown below with all the TD values shown, as revealed by pressing the green TD button (toggles) to the left of the Mesh Core near its bottom.
-An important distinction to note is that the TD values of an image derived color is 1 by default.  It is very often useful to adjust his value to better match actual filaments to be applied to the Color Core later in the process.  Specifically, the example shown above is shown below with the TD values, revealed by pressing the green TD button (toggles) to the left of the Mesh Core near its bottom, as they might have been assigned to help improve the preview image.
+[[File:Mesh_Core_TDs.png| Filament TDs Displayed |500px|thumb|center]]
-[[File:Mesh_Core_TDs.png|500px|center]]
+Take care to change ''''only'''' the image colors and not the values of any actual filament on either of the cores.  If that happens, save your work, leave HueForge while rejecting any filament library saves and then reopen you project to avoid permanently altering the values unintentionally.
 Though there are clearly some shortcomings at this point in the development, such as the miscolored flowers and clouds and some missing reddish-brown details, this example illustrates the basic function of the Mesh Core.
@@ Line 43: / Line 88: @@
 Once the Mesh Core preview is satisfactory, operation switches to the Color Core.
-===Color Core===
+====Color Core====
+The preview image on the left will not change to reflect the selected colors until the color core is selected by clicking on it or using the arrow control button at the bottom right of the core.  It is not entirely bad to wait to do this until all or most of the first set of colors are in place on the core, because the image will become falsely colored with each partial set of colors.  This can be downright scary to watch.  For example, this is what it would look like if the first dark blue filament selection was used to replace the first default gray filament
+[[File: Color_Core_One_Color.png|One Color on the Color Core|thumb|500px|center]]
+Delaying the selection until an initial set of the colors is in place results in a more pleasing first impression of the print preview that results.  For example, it might look something like this with seven filaments placed in appropriate places on the Color Core.
+[[File: Colors_Placed_on_Color_Core.png| Initial Color Set |thumb|500px|center]]
+While it is not perfect, this is a good start.  Not too bad for just seven filament colors.  It needs a reddish-brown, some work on the colors in the clouds, and refinement of the greens and yellows. Accomplishing this might require an increase in the Blend Depth and/or reduction of the layer height to accommodate more colors.
+Here is an attempt with just seven filament colors with 0.04 mm layer heights.  Note that this also employes the Bright Enhance 1 Brightness Compensation with a weighting of 1.4 as well as the Fast Spike Removal.  To limit the number of different filaments the white was reused to provide lighter versions of several colors.  Using a yellow in multiple places can also help to blend greens into lime colors and reds into oranges.  This approach widens the color pallet available from a limited number of filaments
-The next step in the process after setting up the Mech Core is to move to the Color Core, by clicking on it or by pressing the green arrow button at the bottom between the two cores.  Do not be surprised by the preview that results, as it is likely to be in grayscale, since it only has your default filament set on it at this point. The next step is to select filament colors that match or approximate the corresponding colors found on the Mesh Core.
+[[File: Color_Match_0.04mm.png| Initial Color Set |thumb|500px|center]]
-[[File: Start_Color_Core.png|500px|center]]
+So, is this an exact replication of the original image? Obviously not.  But at some point in the development, it might be best to stop looking at the original and just decide whether the preview represents the print you would be pleased to have.
-Colors from your Owned library filaments can be selected or with the assistance of the colors previously placed on the Mesh Core by right-clicking on the filament flag and selecting Find Closest Filament.  This sorts the filament lists in order of the best matching colors in the Owned and Unowned library lists.  Colors on the image can be used in much the same manner by right-clicking (double-click on a track pad or in MacOS) at a location on the image.
+==Final Tips and Techniques==
-The color core functions exactly the same way as the color core does in the other modes. Adding colors to the sliders, or to the core will influence only the color and blending of the final painting.
+# While doing the final editing it is often useful to add a filament just to see how it works in the composition.  In the event it doesn't work, the filament can be disabled by hovering over its flag on the Color Core and pressing the spacebar or right-click and select the Disable or Delete Slider option.  Hitting the delete key also works to delete the filament.  The disable function can be toggled on and off by pressing the spacebar to allow easy comparison.
+# The Matching algorithm is adjustable at the bottom of the image pain.  It is initially in the Default CM setting.  Other selections are as shown.  It is useful to try the options reasonably early in development to determine which is best for your particular image. [[File: Color_Match_Dialog.png|200px|center]]
+# Images with soft gradient colors benefit a lot by putting more colors off of the image on the Mesh Core.
+# When working on the Color Core, after setting up the Mesh Core, lay out the filaments in ways that approximates the spectrum of colors on the Mesh Core.  In doing that, remember it is possible to blend a white over a primary color to blend toward a pastel color.  This can help limit the number of filaments needed and greatly expand the pallet of colors available.
+# Vertical equal signs in a core means that color is saturate at that layer.  If it is in the Mesh Core, that layer will not be used to match colors in the preview.  If it is in the Color Core, the blending of that color is not changed and if it is in the uppermost layer HueForge will truncate the model at the last unsaturated layer.