 Product Review: myPANTONE™ X-Ref iPhone®
App
All artists and designers know how important it is to have a
working knowledge of PANTONE® colors. After all, the PANTONE
Matching System® (PMS) has been the industry leader in color for
printing, painting, fabrics, and plastics for nearly half a century
(and more recently for web design).
Last year, PANTONE took a giant leap into the future of
creativity when they released myPANTONE, giving artists instant access to
PANTONE colors via their iPhones. Less than a year later, the
innovative minds at PANTONE have gone a step further with the
introduction of the myPANTONE™ X-Ref iPhone® application.
Although the myPANTONE X-Ref application was created to be used
in conjunction with the myPANTONE iPhone app, it is still fully
functional as a stand-alone application. In fact, it not only comes
in a reasonably-priced iPhone download (only $1.99), but a free web
version is also available.
I was very excited to talk to the PANTONE representative about
the features and functions of their new creation. However, it
wasn’t until I took myPANTONE X-Ref for a spin on my iPhone that
I realized what an invaluable tool this little app truly was.
I have two main criteria for software: first and foremost, it
has to be functional, and secondly, it has to be fun. I was pleased
to discover that the myPANTONE X-Ref application was both. How easy
is the myPANTONE X-Ref application to use? It’s a simple three
step process.
Step 1: select the “PANTONE Color Guideâ€
(one of the three options located on the “myPANTONE X-Ref†main
screen). The screen will then switch over to the “Color Guideâ€
menu. From there, select a PMS library, from the ten PANTONE color
system libraries (or create a unique custom color from the
CMYK/RGB/HTML feature) and touch “back,†which will take you
back to the myPANTONE X-Ref main menu.
myPANTONE X-Ref includes the above PANTONE color system
libraries
Step 2 (again, on the main menu screen): select
“Color.†The screen will then switch over to a display of all
the colors within the specific PANTONE color system library that
you selected in step 1. Scroll through the PMS library and select a
color, and then touch “back,†which will take you back to the
myPANTONE X-Ref main menu.
Step 3 (again on the main menu screen): select
the “X-Ref PANTONE Guide.†The screen will then switch over to
the cross-reference guide menu. Select a PMS library that you wish
to cross-reference the color from the library that you selected in
steps 1& 2, then touch “back,†which will take you back to the
myPANTONE X-Ref main menu. Both colors will then appear
side-by-side on the myPANTONE X-Ref main menu.
Creating A Custom Color
I was especially impressed with the Custom Colors function,
which allows the user to create a unique color and then cross
reference it to a specific PMS library color. Not only does it
reference PMS colors, but also RGB, CMYK, and HTML (hexadecimal)
color-code numbers in both the custom color and the
cross-referenced PMS color.
Step 1: Touch the “PANTONE Color Guide†pad
on the opening screen. On the PANTONE Color Guide screen, scroll
down to (and select) the CMYK/ RGB/ HTML pad, and touch the
“back†button.
Step 2: Next, touch the “Color†pad on the
opening screen. Create a custom color by moving either the CMYK or
the RGB slider bars (easily toggle between the CMYK, RGB, and HTML
screens). Once you create a unique color, touch the “saveâ€
button, and then touch the “back†button.
Step 3: The last step: touch the “X-Ref
PANTONE Guide†pad on the opening screen. Then touch one of the
three* PMS color library options, and touch the “back†button.
On the main screen, there are now two color samples: My Color (the
custom color) with the CMYK information and the color sample with
the PMS library color.
*Note: When a “custom color†is created,
there are only three X-Ref PANTONE libraries to choose from.
However, when referencing non-custom colors, all ten of the PMS
libraries are available for cross-referencing.
To retrieve the RGB and hexadecimal (HTML) information, on the
main screen, touch the arrow between the color swatches. To get an
even closer look at either of the color samples, touch one of the
color samples, and that color (and its information) will fill the
iPhone screen.
Ideal Color Reference Tool
With the iPhone, it is also easy to take a “screen grab†of
a specific color to either print, or save as a reference for your
“personal†computer color library. To grab an image of your
iPhone’s screen, hold down the “Home†button (located on the
center lower front of your iPhone) and simultaneously hold down the
“Sleep/Wake [on/off]†button (located on the top right corner
of your iPhone). A picture of your iPhone’s screen will snap and
be automatically saved in Photos, in the Camera
Roll folder.
If you do not own an iPhone, the myPANTONE X-Ref application is
also available in a free web version. Although the web version is fully
functional, it does not support the Custom Color (CMYK/RGB/HTML)
feature, and of course the ease of the “take it anywhere you
go†mobility that the iPhone application offers.
myPANTONE X-Ref application Free Web Version
The myPANTONE X-Ref iPhone application is not just for
professionals in the art and print industry, it is also a handy
tool for crafters and quilters. Anyone who deals with color
(artists, webmasters, dress designers, hobbyists, etc.) will
appreciate the functionality and mobility of the myPANTONE X-Ref
iPhone application. After all, PANTONE has taken the guesswork out
of color for nearly half a century!
- myPANTONE™ iPhone® app download: $1.99 (Apple
iPhone® App Store)
- myPANTONEâ„¢ X-Ref Web Tool: Free
- Compatible with iPhone® OS 3.0 or higher
- Can be used with iPhone®, iPod® Touch and
iPad®
- Personalized PANTONE iPhone/iPod Cases also available
We invite you to visit the following:
Supporting images were created for the sole
use of this article and cannot be reproduced in any manner without
written permission.
PANTONE® and other Pantone trademarks are the property of
Pantone LLC © Pantone LLC, 2010.
iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple
All rights reserved.
|
Get to know industry
leaders and professionals
Comments