Using Depth Palettes for Color-Guided Depth
Depth Palettes let colors in the source artwork influence relative depth when photographic perspective cues are weak, absent, or different from the result you want to create.
Where Depth Palettes are created
Depth Palette values are created and edited only in Swatch Palette Vault. The Depthmap Generator selects saved palettes and toggles their swatches, but it does not edit assigned depth or influence values.
Depth and influence
Each configured Rasterizer swatch stores a target depth from Farther to Closer and an influence percentage. At zero influence, matching pixels follow the depth model's perspective-based estimate. At full influence, they use the depth assigned to the swatch. Intermediate values blend the assigned depth with the model's estimate.
Neutral depth is the midpoint. Values below the midpoint are labeled Farther, while values above it are labeled Closer. The Enabled control determines whether a swatch is available for selection when the Depth Palette is used.
Color matching
The Lab compares colors in the source image with the recognized colors in the Depth Palette and creates a color-match map. Boundary Feathering smooths transitions between color-guided regions and the surrounding perspective-based depth. More feathering can reduce hard seams, but it may also spread the swatch's influence beyond a sharp color boundary.
Selecting swatches for an image
When no Depth Palette is selected, mini swatches show the available Rasterizer colors but cannot be toggled. After you select a palette, its configured swatches expand into labeled controls. You can enable or disable them for the current image without changing the Depth Palette saved in Swatch Palette Vault.
Adding surface texture with color guidance
Color guidance can raise or recess a colored pattern while preserving the broader form inferred from perspective. For example, imagine a portrait of a woman with a sleeve tattoo containing red diamonds against a black field. Assigning the red swatch a Farther target with a positive influence can push the diamonds below the surrounding tattoo surface, creating the appearance of a geometric texture recessed into the sleeve while the arm's overall depth still follows the model.
The same method can create raised texture. In artwork containing blue stars on a black background, assign the blue swatch a Closer target with a positive influence. The stars can then rise above the surrounding black area while perspective-derived depth continues to shape the image as a whole. Lower influence values make either effect more subtle; higher values move the matched colors more strongly toward their assigned depth.
Use Boundary Feathering to control how abruptly the texture meets the surrounding surface. Little or no feathering creates sharper, cliff-like steps around raised or recessed regions. Increasing feathering spreads the depth transition across the color boundary, making raised areas resemble rounded mounds and recessed areas resemble smoother depressions.
When color guidance helps
Color guidance is useful for illustrations, diagrams, synthetic artwork, game assets, painted objects, or false-color images in which hue intentionally communicates depth. Use a moderate influence when the model's perspective estimate is mostly correct and color only needs to adjust ambiguous regions.
When color guidance can hurt
Color in a photograph often describes the material or lighting rather than its depth. A red object, for example, can appear at any distance. Avoid strong influence unless the colors genuinely represent the intended form, and inspect color boundaries for halos or flattened detail.