To manage Style Guides in Creative Force, go to the Production tab and select Style Guides V2 from the menu. Find the Style Guide you want to edit, hover over it, and click Edit. From here, you can adjust settings to suit your production needs.
Under the Settings menu, select Color Matching.
By default, Color Matching is disabled. If you enable this feature, you can:
Name the color reference file.
Choose when and how the file is generated.
Color Reference Output Name
The default naming convention for the color reference file is _color-ref-ProductCode. This ensures a unique name that directly associates the reference file with the product being color-matched.
To adjust the naming convention:
Click on the text field.
Include the required Product Code.
Optionally, select additional properties by clicking the text icon. This allows for customization beyond the default naming.
Color Reference Production
Once the naming is set, you’ll need to decide how the color reference file is handled during production.
When No Color Reference is Available
Choose one of these actions:
Pause and Wait for Color Reference: Stops production until the file is available. If the required production type is disabled, other production types proceed as usual.
Continue Without Color Reference: Allows production to continue without the file. Learn more about this here.
Color Reference Approach
You have four options for managing color reference files:
1. Request from the First Production type
A minimum of one and a maximum of ten images must be provided at the Photography step of the first production type.
Example: A style guide with two production types, "On Model" and "Flats," using internal post-production. Kelvin requires the color reference images during the first production type and shares them with the editing team in the Hue panel.
Important Note: If "On Model" is the first production type, it will trigger the color reference request regardless of subsequent production types.
After uploading the images, the editing team will receive the information right away. They can see the color reference image in their Hue panel.
2. Request from Specific production type
Assign the production type for requesting color reference images (e.g., "On Model").
Example: If the Flats production type is shot first, Kelvin won’t ask for the color reference until "On Model" is produced. Flats tasks will wait for the color reference to proceed.
When the Flats is produced, Kelvin won’t ask for the color reference.
Since the color reference is only created in the On Model production type, this product for Flats is now waiting for a color reference. This means that the task is not available for Internal Post yet.
Then, when it’s time to produce the On Model, Kelvin will ask for the color reference.
3. Use Selection from Production type
Specify the position in the style guide to select the color reference image(s). If unspecified, Creative Force defaults to the first image of the first position.
Example: A style guide with "On Model" set as the production type for final selection. If Flats is produced first, Creative Force will hold the Flats tasks until the color reference is available after the final selection step of "On Model."
Note:
Positions marked as optional cannot be used as color references.
Photo Review is required in the workflow with this option.
For this example, I have the style guide Color ref 3 with the below settings:
Two production types: On Model and Flats
Color reference: Use Selection from Production type > On Model > Final Selection
Photo review: All positions
Post-production: Internal post
Style guide: Color reference is the first position in On Model
This works similarly to the second option, if the Flats is produced first, Creative Force will hold it until the color reference is available. And the color reference is only available after the Final Selection of on Model is done.
4. Use Selection from the First Production Type
Automatically creates the color reference from whichever production type is shot first. Select a Color Accurate Step (e.g., External Post, Internal Post, Final Selection) for each production type that supports color references.
Example: A style guide with "On Model" and "Mannequin" production types, both set to Final Selection. If On Model is shot first, the color reference will be created from On Model. If Mannequin is produced first instead, the color reference will be created from Mannequin, keeping production moving without manual intervention.
Important Notes:
Production types without at least one position selected as a Color Reference will be hidden from the configuration list in Settings.
Photo Review is required in the workflow with this option.
For this example, I have the style guide Tops with the below settings:
Two production types: On Model and Mannequin
Color reference: Use Selection from the First Production Type > On Model > Final Selection, Mannequin > Final Selection
Allow selecting multiple positions as color reference: Enabled
Photo review: Required
Style guide: Color reference is the first position in each production type
This approach differs from options 2 and 3 because it adapts to whichever production type begins first, preventing workflow blockers when a specific production type is skipped, shot later, or disabled by conditions.
Allow Selecting Multiple Positions as Color Reference
For added flexibility, you can enable multiple color reference positions per production type to ensure a fallback reference is available if the primary position becomes unavailable (for example, due to conditional rules).
Note:
If the color reference is already available, it will override the selected approach in Style Guide settings. In such cases, Creative Force will not prompt for an additional color reference file to be submitted.
When you have more than one production type, and you reset one of them:
Creative Force will remove the color reference file if it is not in use by any other production type
Creative Force will keep the color reference file if it is in use by any other production type
"Use Selection from the First Production Type" approach and "Allow selecting multiple positions as color reference" option are available for Workflows and Style Guides V2 only.