Deanna, I just choose the color that will work best with the design - sometimes - they has chosen a number that your program doesn't recognize - maybe from a different thread chart or they may intend for it to have an applique fabric - so be sure - about that part - if not - there will just be an outline and your basic material will show through.

my machine did that today for the first time, it did show the color black and I was working on the beak of the Flamingo so I figured it was correct...
WRONG
it was suppose to be white (figured it out 2 color changes later)
I ended up tearing out the black (I hate having to tear out embroidery stitches it is so much work!)and redoing that section in the white.

I use Pulse Ambassador and click on the view by color, but this is more for clarity as my Janome 350E doesn't have a color screen.....I basically just pick my own colors.....I like to have all the thread in order of use in front of my machine....the color charts are usually in a different thread than what I'm using so it's not always a help.

I haven't had that happen yet but I assume it will one of these days

Dear Camilow I always choose all the colours which match the best with what I want to get with the design and the fabric.The numbers of the colours needed are only an indication for me,it is a great pleasure for me to choose the threads as I like

Deanna, I think most of us use colors close to the design pictures. Most of the time, however I pretend I'm coloring and use what feels right. Hugs, Terre

it depends on what background i am embroidering , normaly I use the colors as the design tells. but sometimes I change them because i like other colors better at the used fabric.