Chimney Smoke Emitter black colour

#1 The thing to understand about coloring particles is that it scales the color value of your starting image with the color values you specify. "Red Green Blue Alpha" is the format you use for the color value. Valid values range from 0 - 1. The closer a specific value is closer to 1 then the more of that color you starting image will obtain. The alpha value determines it's transparency level. In theory "0 0 0 1" would be a solid black particle, but oftentimes you will be scaling your colors from a starting graphic that is white. That value of "0 0 0 1" will still give you a white particle. But luckily there is a field for particles that is called useInvAlpha which does a sort of negative color effect, which will allow you to have a black particle produced from a white image. Some people cheat and simply use a "darker" starting graphic in order to achieve their black & smoky particles, but a white image and use of useInvAlpha gives better flexibility.

And if that doesn't make any sense here is an image of the chimneySmoke particle as edited with the in-game Particle Editor. Take notice that "useInvAlpha" has been checked, and also notice the color/alpha values have been changed.