User:Qrystal/Dye guide

The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to the various aspects of Dye, beyond the basics of just the definitions of the Vial of Dye and the Dye Preview panel.

The Dye economy
Prices of dye fluctuate with demand, but there are some trends that have been remaining fairly consistent. For up-to-the-minute prices, please check with a Dye Trader, who will provide a quote that reflects the server-wide supply and demand for each colour.

Dye in Pre-Searing
Prices of all items in Pre-Searing tend to be slightly lower than in Post-Searing (except possibly the Charr Bag, which is at least a hundred times more useful in Pre- than in Post-Searing).

Using Dye
The main purpose of dye is to customize the visual appearance of a character. Since taste is highly subjective, it is always a good idea to carefully examine the view in the Dye Preview panel before applying the dye.

Effect of Dye on different items
The same colour of dye may look very different when applied to different items:
 * Some items only have a few parts that are coloured (for example, Elementalist Pyromancer's Armor is affected only along the trim).
 * Some may dye brightly while others are very pale (for example, using purple on female Mesmer armor compared to female Elementalist armor) (CHECK THIS! Would an image help?).
 * Some items (like the Chaos Axe) dye a completely different colour than the colour of dye that is applied.

It is important to use the Dye Preview panel to ensure you are satisfied with the results.

CAUTION: The Dye Preview panel does not appear when applying Dye to storage items like your Backpack, Belt Pouch, or Bags. It is very easy to accidentally dye these items when you are intending to dye something inside of it.

The colour of an item before dying has no effect on the new colour. The new colour completely replaces the old one.

Mixing Dye
The Dye Preview panel also allows the mixing of colours prior to application. The order of vials does not matter, except that the second dye cannot be the same as the first (because it would have no effect). See Dye Preview panel for instructions.

When mixing, it may be useful to have some idea of what colours should make up the colour you want. Some mixes are easier to make than others.

There are three primary colours of dye: red, yellow, and blue.

Secondary colours can be made by combining any two primary colours: The secondary colours already exist in Vials in-game, so it is not necessary to mix them. However, (CHECK THIS!) the colours are slightly different (How?).
 * red + yellow = orange
 * red + blue = purple
 * yellow + blue = green

Tertiary colours can be made by combining a secondary with one of its component primaries. For example: But mixing orange with any other colour will give some shade of brown:
 * orange + red = reddish orange
 * orange + yellow = yellowish orange
 * orange + blue = brown
 * orange + purple = reddish-brown
 * orange + green = yellowish-brown

Colours in between the tertiary colours ones are quite easy to predict (for example, an even more reddish orange can be obtained by mixing orange + red + red).

Mixing all three primaries, if they were of exactly the right balance of shades and saturations, should theoretically give black; however, in practice, a shade of murky brown is the result. Mixing any two secondaries will also result in some other shade of brown. Brown dye vials are similar to a mix of (what?).

Adding black to a mix of dyes darkens the mix. Adding white lightens the mix. Adding grey reduces the saturation, making vivid colours more dim and making pale colours darker. Adding brown to a vivid colour tends to reduce the saturation, much like grey, but with a much warmer effect. Adding brown to a pale colour is similar to adding both orange and black. (CHECK ALL THIS!)

Making Pink
There are as many ways to mix to get pink as there are people who are looking to do it. Because every item dyes differently, it is best to experiment with the following combinations to see which is most appealing to you on that item.

red + purple = "hot pink" red + white = "light pink" etc.

Vial of Dye (Mixed)
Prior to the implementation of the Dye Preview panel, the only way to mix dye was to do it within the vials themselves, creating a Vial of Dye (Mixed). These dyes cannot be used with the new Dye Preview panel, and simply dye the chosen item outright. They also cannot be mixed any further.

History of Dye

 * Date of change: October 25, 2006 update
 * Dye Remover
 * Vial of Dye (Mixed)
 * old default colours of armor
 * old external links to colour tables

Future location
Dye guide