GETTING STARTED

Choose New Palette to start an empty palette, or Clone Palette to make a new palette from the one you are viewing. Select Art Toolkit or Conventional, choose a palette size, and then click or drag pan shapes onto the palette.

Select a pan and click a paint to fill it, or drag a paint onto a pan. Double-click (or free hold on a mobile device) on a paint or a filled pan to open the pop-up menu.

Use the toolbar to view the selected paint, clear the pan, change the pan size, or delete the pan. Drag pans to rearrange them. Pans may be staged above, below, or beside the palette. On a touchscreen, press and hold a pan for its menu; on a computer, right-click it.

Click a pan shape in Add Pans to place it in the first open position. Use Hide Colors beside the palette title to make a blank layout for painting your own swatches.

FREE AND PRO

EasySwatch Free is intended for quickly brainstorming palettes. It keeps one current palette and your Paint Master changes only in this browser. Clearing EasySwatch’s browser data, using private browsing, or switching browsers or devices can make that work unavailable. You can create or clone as many palettes as you like, but each new Free palette replaces the previous one. File > Save saves the current Free palette in this browser.

For dependable Dropbox storage, synchronization, and multiple saved palettes, upgrade to EasySwatch Pro. Pro automatically stores and synchronizes named palettes and the Paint Master in the connected Dropbox account. Favorites, Have selections, paint edits, and settings synchronize with the Paint Master and Pro options. Pro also adds Open, Save As, actual-size printing, and palette and Paint Master import/export. Pro makes it easy to print a 100% scaled swatch sheet for your exact palette.

Dropbox is required for EasySwatch Pro. A free 2GB Dropbox Basic account is more than sufficient and is available at www.dropbox.com/basic. The Dropbox desktop app does not need to be installed because EasySwatch connects securely through the browser.

The indicator in the title bar shows whether work is saved to Dropbox, still waiting to synchronize, or needs attention. Before closing EasySwatch or clearing browser storage, wait until it says Saved to Dropbox.

PALETTES

EasySwatch saves changes automatically. In Pro, File > Open shows the named palette library and lets you open or delete a palette. File > Save As creates another named palette. Deleting a Pro palette removes it from the connected Dropbox and from other connected devices.

PAINT MASTER

The Paint Master is the file that contains all of the paint information on the right. That includes paints we include standard plus any you have added. It also includes your checkmarks for favorites and paints you have plus any notes. Use Get Info to inspect or edit paint information and to see similar paints from Daniel Smith, Windsor & Newton, and Schmincke. If you don’t have Pro this file is kept in temporary browser storage so it’s not advisable to spend a lot of time editing it. For Pro users, this is stored in Dropbox along with your palettes so it’s much more secure.

Reset Paint Master replaces your current Paint Master with EasySwatch’s default and removes your paint edits, Favorites, and Have selections. In Pro, that reset synchronizes through Dropbox to your other devices.

IMPORT, EXPORT, AND PRINTING

Pro can import or export palette and Paint Master files when you intentionally want to use an EasySwatch file outside the normal Dropbox workflow.

Pro printing produces an actual-size palette reference; use the one-inch calibration mark to check printer scaling and adjust as necessary. Sometimes printer drivers need some setting adjustment to truly leave the scaling alone.

Tracking Paint Inventory

If you want to keep track of all the paints in your drawer, Easyswatch can help. Use the “Favorite” and “Have” check boxes to make the paints you use all the time or ones you simply have. If you keep multiple tubes of the same color on hand you can make note of that in the “Notes” field for the paint. Get Info takes you there.

Similar Paints

EasySwatch calculates the CIELAB value of every swatch and can tell you what other colors are close. This can save you a bucket of money. Say you are attending a class and the instructor wants you to bring a specific paint you don’t own. Just select the paint and press “Get Info” and then “Similar Paints.” You’ll see all the paints that are close, including any you already own. It’s also handy for avoiding impulse purchases in the art supply store! These CIELAB values are the average of the swatch we have stored but reality on your paper with your paint may vary a bit.