can i get a better color bar than the default one?

Question

Hi,

We have been having this problem for ages but have never figured it out.

Whenever we produce images in ArcMap our color bar is very small (Insert --> Legend) and holds very limited information. This is unlike other software we use which provides a legitimate sized color bar which also incorporates any stretching that we have made.

In my doc file attached, in the first image with the arcmap color bar i actually performed a gamma stretch to increase the blue colors but i did not get a new color bar that shoed this change. I also wonder if there is no way to get a larger color bar like most other image processing software.

Thanks a lot.

ARCMAP-COLORBAR.docx

Wolfgang_Grunberg_AZ_DFFM_1-1730930484163.png

XanderBakker · Answer

When you visualize the data there are several stretch options you can choose from:

Depending the chosen method, the input values will be "stretched" over the available colors. In the legend there is no difference between the Percent Clip and Standard Deviation if you look at the minimum and maximum values. When using Min Max, you can set those values manually (see left)

When you look at the raster the colors will change, but you don't see that reflected in the legend.

You can also adjust the display properties of the raster by changing contrast, like contrast, brightness and transparency:

This will be reflected in the legend:

HelgaGomes · Answer

Thanks a lot Xander! This is really very useful for me as I used to do a similat thing in NASA's ocean color software and was lookibg for it in ArcMap too. A final question and my apologies for the bother. When i stretch/manipulate the color ramp and then display it alongside my map do I get the exact color ramp they way I stretched it or do I get the original on-stretched one?

Thanks a lot.

Helga

XanderBakker · Answer

Hi Helga Gomes , there is a document about Moving Content  with the steps.

I looked again at the document you provided and I think I understand what your question is. It is not on the size of the item in the legend, but the actual colors you want to use for the data. This can be adapted. As a matter of fact the color ramp I used in my screenshots was made by adding additional algorithmic elements to the  color ramp.

Originally the my color ramp was from green to red. Right click on the Color ramp and select "Properties...":

You will see that it is defined using two Algorithmic Color Ramps. You can add additional ones to define the ramp as you wish:

For instance like this to add some darker colors to both end of the ramp:

After any changes be sure to save it to a style:

and give it an appropriate name:

This way it  will be available to you in any ArcMap session.