Accessing Patterns

Accessing Patterns

Related Information

Patterns Palette

Applying Patterns

Editing Patterns

Color Palette

Color Fill

Gradient Fill

The access section of the Patterns palette provides methods for opening or saving patterns, or lists of patterns in files on your hard drive, local network or the internet. The defining element of a pattern can be any bitmap image, so these controls can be used to read or write the master pattern image. Patterns may also be archived as colors in a color list file (*.clr).

The operating system maintains color list files in various key folders. The primary personal location for color lists is in the Colors folder in the Library folder of the user's home folder (~/Library/Colors). Any *.clr (color list files) found here will be available on the Color Picker palette.

The List/Image Files popup determines the method of pattern access. If List is chosen, the patterns are saved or accessed as colors in a color list file. Color list files are identified by the ".clr" extension. If "Image Files" is selected the pattern is accessed as a standard bitmap image file. Any bitmap format supported by the system can be used. The most common formats on macOS are TIF and JPG.

The Open button is used to read a pattern color or image file. If Image Files is chosen, a standard Open file panel is provide for locating an image to use as a pattern color.

If the List method is specified a pair of popup menus is presented to choose a color list and a pattern color from the list. All color lists present in the standard folders are provided by the list popup. There is also a "Read" option that can be used to browse the available file systems for *.clr files. Once a list is selected with the popup menu, all available patterns in the list are provided for selection on the other popup menu.

If the Image Files mode is selected, the Save button is used to save an individual pattern color's master image in an image file. The standard file save panel is presented, the image is saved in the TIF file format.

If the List mode is selected, the Save button is used to save an individual pattern color in an existing color list. The current pattern as shown in the close-up bit map view is saved to the pattern and list selected with the two popup menus provided. The popup menus also have selections for creating new list and new members of a list.

The Image File methods allow the pattern image editor to be use as a primitive image editor - or pixel paint tool. The close-up view is actually painting/editing a simple bit map image. The can be read (or use drag-drop) into the editing view, modified and saved back to a permanent file for other use.

EazyDraw provides several pre designed patterns for your use with EazyDraw or other applications on your system. Swatches of these are shown at the bottom of this page. These are generated when you first access the color lists on this panel. After the first access, all the patterns will be available to other applications from the Color Panel's color list picker.

If a captured image is used as a pattern (perhaps from screen grab) the anti aliasing algorithms may border the image with faint colored transition pixels. These give rise to horizontal and vertical lines when used as a pattern. To remove them use the hand tool to slide the image up and to left a few pixels, then reduce the width and height of the image by few pixels. Repeat these steps until the lines are no longer visible. If the image is small you can also overtly paint the border pixels with the desired precise colors.