diff --git a/examples/scripts/plot_phase_tensor_section.py b/examples/scripts/plot_phase_tensor_section.py
index 162dc8dfc..ebbd69259 100644
--- a/examples/scripts/plot_phase_tensor_section.py
+++ b/examples/scripts/plot_phase_tensor_section.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 import os
 
 # path to edis
-edi_path = r'C:\mtpywin\mtpy\examples\data\edi_files_2'
+edi_path = r'c:\Users\jpeacock\Documents\GitHub\mtpy\examples\data\edi_files_2'
 
 # save path
 savepath = r'C:\tmp'
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@
                                  plot_tipper = 'yri', # plot tipper ('y') + 'ri' means real+imag
                                  font_size=5,
                                  lw=0.5,
-                                 ellipse_dict = {'ellipse_colorby':'skew',# option to colour by phimin, phimax, skew, skew_seg
-                                                 'ellipse_range':[-12,12]} # set color limits - default 0,90 for phimin or max,
+                                 ellipse_dict = {'ellipse_colorby':'skew_seg',# option to colour by phimin, phimax, skew, skew_seg
+                                                 'ellipse_range':[-6, 6, 3]} # set color limits - default 0,90 for phimin or max,
                                                                          # [-12,12] for skew. If plotting skew_seg need to provide
                                                                          # 3 numbers, the 3rd indicates interval, e.g. [-12,12,3]
                                  )
diff --git a/mtpy/imaging/mtcolors.py b/mtpy/imaging/mtcolors.py
index 9e262ac78..85d2aeffd 100644
--- a/mtpy/imaging/mtcolors.py
+++ b/mtpy/imaging/mtcolors.py
@@ -503,6 +503,7 @@ def get_plot_color(colorx, comp, cmap, ckmin=None, ckmax=None, bounds=None):
             return cmapdict[cmap](norm(colorx))
         else:
             return cm.get_cmap(cmap)(norm(colorx))
+    
     elif comp == 'skew_seg' or comp == 'normalized_skew_seg':
         if bounds is None:
             raise IOError('Need to input bounds for segmented colormap')
@@ -523,8 +524,18 @@ def get_plot_color(colorx, comp, cmap, ckmin=None, ckmax=None, bounds=None):
                 cvar = 1.0
                 return get_color(cvar, cmap)
         '''
-
         norm = colors.Normalize(bounds[0], bounds[-1])
+        step = abs(bounds[1] - bounds[0])
+        ### need to get the color into a bin so as to not smear the colors.
+        
+        if colorx > max(bounds):
+            colorx = max(bounds)
+        elif colorx < min(bounds):
+            colorx = min(bounds)
+        elif abs(colorx) <= step:
+            colorx = 0
+        else:
+            colorx = int(step * round(float(colorx - np.sign(colorx) * (abs(colorx) % step))/ step))
 
         if (cmap in list(cmapdict.keys())):
             return cmapdict[cmap](norm(colorx))