ImagesLesson
How to make a color by number page from a picture
Turn your own picture into a color by number page: a line drawing with a number in every area, a legend of colors, and a check that none are missed.
On this page
In short
In the editor, open Library, then Elements, Generate and Color by number. Pick your picture, choose a level of Detail, click Preview, then Place on this page to put a numbered page and its legend in your book.
A color by number page takes more than tracing a picture. Every area needs exactly one number, each number needs room to sit inside its area, and the legend has to match the colors. Done by hand, a missed or doubled number often goes unnoticed until a reader finds it. Color by number builds the page from your picture and checks every area before you order a proof copy.
Previewing a page works on every plan. Placing it in your book comes with the Creator, Publisher, Studio and Founders' Lifetime plans, and a page made from your own picture costs no credits. Make a picture with AI, in the same dialog, is the one part that spends AI credits; it comes with Creator, Publisher and Studio.
Make a page from your picture#
Open Color by number
Go to the page where the color by number should go. In the tool rail on the left, click Library, then Elements, then Generate, and click the Color by number card. The Color by number dialog opens. Your picture needs to be in your uploads; if it isn't, add it through the Uploads tab first.
If the picture is already on the page, select it and click Make color by number in the toolbar instead.
Pick a picture and its detail
Under Pick a picture, click your picture. Under Detail, choose Simple, Standard or Detailed: Simple makes fewer, bigger areas for young readers, and Detailed makes more and smaller ones. Colors sets how many colors the page uses, and Colors from takes them from the picture itself or from a box of crayons.
Preview the page
Click Preview. The page appears with a number in every area and the legend underneath, and the line below it counts the areas and colors. Click Finished to see the page colored in, and To color to go back.
Place it on the page
Click Place on this page. The page fills the space inside the margins of the page you are on, with the legend at the bottom, and stays selected so its toolbar shows.
Check every area
With the page selected, click Show finished colors in the toolbar above it. Each area fills with the color of its number, and the toolbar reads Every area holds one number. when nothing is missing or doubled.
Reading the preview and the check#
| In the preview or toolbar | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| 12 areas to color | How many areas a reader colors in. |
| 6 colors | How many colors the legend lists. |
| Smallest area 11.3 mm across | The width of the smallest area. A very small area is hard to color neatly; Simple makes the areas larger. |
| Every area holds one number. | Each area has exactly one number, so every area can be colored without guessing. |
| 1 area holds two numbers | Two numbers landed in one area, so a reader can't tell which color it takes. Make the page again with fewer colors or Simple. |
| 1 area has no number | An area is missing its number. Make the page again with fewer colors or Simple. |
| Numbers 14 pt | The size of the numbers. − and + beside it make them smaller or larger. |
The counts come from the page itself, and the check reads the placed page as it stands, so a number you move or resize is checked again.
Undo or make it again#
Press ⌘Z to take the page back off. To try other settings on the same picture, select the page and click Run again…: the dialog opens with the page's own picture and settings, and Replace the page puts the new version where the old one stands. Your picture stays in your uploads.
Coloring books are generally not low-content books on KDP; for what that changes, read Low-Content Books on KDP: What Still Works.
Common questions
What kind of picture works best?
Flat pictures with big, clear shapes, like a cartoon or a simple illustration. Photos work too, but come out with fewer, larger areas.
Does it cost AI credits?
No. A page made from your own picture uses no credits. Only Make a picture with AI spends credits, and the chip beside it shows how many.
What happens in a black-and-white book?
The page prints in gray, so the legend names each color without a swatch, and the colors come from a box of 24 crayons unless you choose otherwise.
Can readers see the finished picture somewhere in the book?
Yes, in a color book. Select the page and click Add color reference page in the toolbar. A page of finished pictures is added at the back of the book, four to a page.
Can I rename the colors in the legend?
Yes. Select the page and click Color names in the toolbar, then type a new name for any color. A name too long for the legend is refused, so keep names short.
Try it on your own book
Open a book in SmartKDP and follow the steps above. It takes about 5 minutes.