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Using Color Boxes

Colors and backgrounds can add a lot of character to web pages. The colors you assign to objects like text and backgrounds are important in determining the effectiveness and overall usability of your website. Dreamweaver allows you to assign colors to text, backgrounds, cells, tables, and borders. If you don't specify a color for an element, Dreamweaver applies the default color.

The topics discussed in this document include the following:

• Selecting a Color

• Working with Color Palettes

NOTES:
Not all web browsers are capable of displaying all background and text color combinations. In most cases, the browser will revert back to its default colors with no ill effects. Also, colorblind users will be unable to decipher pages with certain color combinations. To ensure document readability, you should user test color choices. For more information on using color, refer to Selecting Colors by Value, Color and Background Resources, and Web Publishing and Color Vision.

Selecting a Color

In Dreamweaver, you can assign color to specific elements using the color box on the Properties pane. Each element with color assignment availability has an individual color box on the Properties pane. For example, by placing the insertion point within a cell, the Cell Properties pane displays both the Cell Background color box and the Cell Border color box.

For more information on selecting colors, see Selecting Colors by Value.

This is a sample of the most common color boxes and their corresponding elements:

1. To select a color for an element, select the desired element

2. From the Properties pane, click the appropriate color box
   The Color palette appears.
   

3. Use the eyedropper to select a color from the Color palette
   The new color appears in the color box.
   HINT: If the desired color is not displayed on the Color palette, you can use the eyedropper to select any color from the screen.

Working with Color Palettes

Color palettes determine which colors are available for selection from the color boxes. Although the Color Cubes color palette is the Dreamweaver default palette, you can select a color palette from five available color palettes.

Available Color Palettes

You can select colors from five different color palettes in Dreamweaver: Color Cubes, Continuous Tone, Windows OS, Mac OS, or Grayscale.

Selecting a Color Palette

1. To select a color palette, click the color box
   The Color palette appears.
   

2. From the Color palette, click COLOR PALETTE MENU
   The Color Palette menu appears.

3. From the Color Palette menu, select the desired color palette
   HINT: To show colors regardless of their web usability, deselect Snap to Web Safe