6.5.2 Using the Select Color Dialogue Box

You may need to use the Select Color dialogue box when choosing a colour for an atom, molecule or other object:

There are several ways to select a colour:

Click on one of the Basic colors.

Click on the colour palette.

Click on one of the Custom colors (only possible if you have defined some earlier in the Mercury session).

Click in the vertical lightness slider.

Type your required Red, Green and Blue values.

Type your required Hue, Saturation and Lightness (i.e. Val.) values. The Hue defines the colour, e.g. 0 is red, 120 is green, and 240 is blue. The Saturation defines the amount of colour; 255 is fully saturated, whereas a colour with a saturation of zero is always white. The Lightness can also be controlled; a Lightness of zero always gives black.

Once you have chosen the required colour, hit OK to continue.

To create a customised palette, you can choose a colour and then hit Add To Custom Colors. This adds the current colour to the Custom colors area for use later in the same session.