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Color Value And Its Importance
Read this section carefully because really understanding this concept can make the difference between creating stunning quilts or average
quilts.
Color value is how light or dark a fabric is in relation to the other fabrics in your color palette. A color palette is the collection of fabrics used to make your quilt.
The most important step in making a photo quilt (or any kind of quilt…look at this website to see how color value is used to make stunning traditional quilts http://www.clearviewtriangle.com/quiltgallery/qgbbbbq.html
) is arranging your fabrics in order (from light to dark) by color value. I have found that it is hard for me to see
the color value of fabrics with my naked eye. My eyes are easily fooled by the colors. To solve this problem, I use three processes that allows me to see the values of the fabrics
separately from the colors. I will teach you method #2 in this lesson.
Method 2
For this method of finding the values
of your fabrics, you will use my “Quilted Photo Xpress / Color Value Edition” software that you can get at the end of this lesson. First you will cut a small piece of the fabrics you will
be using to make your quilt. Tape one fabric piece in each of the boxes on the following form. Next you will scan the form and open the file in the Quilted Photo Xpress 1.0 software and
lastly, print your pattern. Your fabrics will be numbered and you will know if you are missing any values.
   
     
   
Once you have your fabrics in order by color value, your success is guaranteed!
Not only is color value very important but it is even more important than the colors you choose! If you follow these instructions to sort your fabrics, you will
effortlessly create highlights, shadows, and depth in your quilted photographs.
How To Use The Software
System Requirements
- Microsoft Windows 95 or later
- 90 MHz processor
- 16 MB RAM
- 32-bit color is a system requirement
- A way to get photos into your computer(Photo processing CD, Scanner, digital camera, etc.)
Installation
- Double click file: "SetupV.exe".
- Follow the installer's on-screen instructions.
Follow the following directions to sort colored fabrics from light to dark.
Place the squares on the above form. Please cut the squares 1” so that the entire width of the page is covered by fabric. If your fabric pieces are smaller than 1”,
the white spaces between the squares will make your results confusing.It is also important to make all of your fabrics fit on the page at one time. Scan your form
into your computer and save the image of your fabrics as a jpeg file. Open your file in the “Quilted Photo Xpress Color Value Edition” Original Photo Display
window. Now move the Number Of Fabrics selector Bar to match the number of fabrics on your form.
Next move the Photo Detail Slider all the way to the left, until the number it says
matches the fabrics across the top row.
Now use the selection tool to only select the fabrics, and none of the surrounding
form as shown in the diagram.
The last thing to do is print the pattern. You will ignore everything except the grid
of numbers. The grid will tell you what value each of the swatches are. The pattern will look something like the diagram below. 
If two of your swatches have the same color value, then
make your decision by looking at the fabrics to determine the value, or choose another fabric and start the process over again.
That is all you need to know to use “Quilted Photo
Xpress Color Value Edition” for finding the color values in your fabrics.
Using The Color Wheel As A Spinning Top
The color wheel is a very useful tool if you know how to use it, and very confusing
if you don’t. I have Included a simple color wheel to use to show you that all color is contained in white light. When you spin the color wheel like a spinning top, the
colors will all look white!
To use the color wheel, make a vertical line through the wheel and a horizontal
line through the wheel. Where the lines cross is the center of the wheel. Glue the wheel to an old CD-rom. Be careful to get it centered on the CD-rom. Then glue
an old water bottle top in the center whole with the point of the top facing down. That is all you have to do! Spin the top and you will see the white light.
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