From a rendered appearance to a searchable palette
Each indexed appearance is rendered against a controlled background. MogForge separates the visible item from that background, groups related pixels into color regions, and records how much of the visible item each region covers. The catalogue can then compare a requested color with those measured regions instead of depending on words such as “red,” “gold,” or “shadow” in an item name.
This approach is useful because two items with unrelated names can share a palette, while two items with nearly identical names can be different recolors. It also has limits. Metallic highlights, transparent effects, glows, shadows, and animated textures can change the measured distribution. A match should therefore be treated as a discovery lead and checked in the item preview.
Main areas and small accents
A main color is expected to cover a meaningful part of the appearance. Use it for the cloth, leather, metal, or other surface that defines the overall look. An accent color is intended for smaller details such as trim, gems, runes, buckles, stitching, and weapon effects. The distinction is about measured coverage, not subjective importance: a tiny bright gem may be the visual focal point while still being an accent.
MogForge provides four main-color positions and two accent positions. You do not need to fill all six. One or two deliberate colors normally produce more useful discovery results than an exact list of every shade visible on an item.
Shade range and minimum coverage
| Control | What a higher value does | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Shade range | Allows colors farther from the selected shade to qualify. | Increase it when results are too literal or lighting creates several related shades. |
| Minimum coverage | Requires the matching color to occupy more of the visible item. | Increase it when the color only appears as an insignificant speck; decrease it for trims and effects. |
These controls answer different questions. Shade range asks “how similar may the hue and brightness be?” Minimum coverage asks “how much of the appearance must carry it?” Increasing both at once can be confusing because one broadens the allowed shade while the other removes items with small matching regions. Change one control, inspect the results, and then adjust the other.
What the presets are for
Broad activates main colors with a wider shade range and is designed for exploration. It is helpful when you know the color family but not the exact value, or when different materials reflect the same color differently. Precise uses both main and accent selections with a tighter range, so it works best after the desired palette is established. Accents only looks for the two accent selections without requiring the main-color fields. Custom leaves each active color under your direct control.
Preset names describe search behavior rather than quality. Broad is not inaccurate, and Precise is not automatically better. A broad bronze search can find a useful weathered metal that a strict orange-brown value misses. Conversely, a precise purple-and-gold search can remove items that match only one half of a specific outfit palette.
Searching from an existing item
Open an item and choose one of its similarity actions to use that appearance as a color reference. MogForge can emphasize the main measured colors, use a fuller main-plus-accent composition, or focus on accent regions. This is often faster than sampling hex values manually. The reference banner shows which item and mode are active, and clearing it returns the catalogue to ordinary filters.
Same-set appearances can be placed ahead of pure color matches because they are often the most intentional visual companions. This does not mean every same-set recolor is interchangeable. MogForge keeps verified set-family relationships separate from the color comparison and presents the nearest compatible recolor where possible.
A practical troubleshooting sequence
- If there are no results, disable the least important color before changing the main anchor.
- If results contain only tiny matching details, raise minimum coverage or classify that color as a main area.
- If the correct material appears in a slightly different shade, widen shade range in small steps.
- If two colors compete, keep the structural color as main and move the trim or glow to an accent slot.
- If a result looks wrong, inspect the larger preview and report an incorrect color mask when appropriate.