Fill, Stroke, and Color

This chapter is from the book

Learn Adobe Illustrator CC for Graphic Design and Illustration: Adobe Certified Associate Exam Preparation

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book 

Learn Adobe Illustrator CC for Graphic Design and Illustration: Adobe Certified Associate Exam Preparation

Learn More Buy

Recolor Artwork

The Recolor Artwork command displays a dialog box of options for changing the colors on multiple selected objects. This feature provides a powerful way to change colors in an applied pattern, gradient, or solid color on selected objects.

1. Select one or more objects. Their fill and stroke can contain patterns, gradients, or solid colors.
2. On the Control panel, click the Recolor Artwork icon .
3. In the lower part of the Recolor Artwork dialog box, select Recolor Art.

The following four sections explain how to use the Recolor Artwork dialog box.

Save the Existing Artwork Colors

In the Recolor Artwork dialog box, you can save the current colors applied to the objects (Figure 4.10).

Figure 4.10 A new color group being added to the Color Groups list

1. In the top part of the dialog box, click the Get Colors From Selected Art dropper and enter a descriptive name in the Name field.
2. Click the New Color Group icon. A color group is added to the Color Groups list.

Assign New Colors to the Artwork

The Recolor Artwork dialog box enables you to quickly change the colors applied to multiple selected objects.

1. On the left side of the dialog box, click the Assign tab. Colors from the selected objects appear in the Current Colors column.

2. With Recolor Art checked, do any of the following to recolor the selected art:

   • In the Color Groups list, click a color group.
   • Click a color in the New column, then drag the sliders below the Current Colors column.

   • In the New column, double-click a color, and choose a new color in the Color Picker (Figure 4.11).

     

     Figure 4.11 A color in the New column is being changed via the Color Picker.

Edit Colors Using the Color Wheel

You can modify existing colors with the color wheel in the Recolor Artwork dialog box (Figure 4.12).

Figure 4.12 The Recolor Artwork dialog box

1. Click the Edit tab at left. Colors from the selected artwork display as markers on a color wheel.

2. The Edit color wheel works as follows:

   • If the black lines connecting the markers are dashed, click the Link Harmony Colors icon below the circle to create solid lines.
   • Drag any marker to rotate all of the markers around the color wheel and shift the object colors. (Color harmonies are preserved.)
   • Click the Harmony Color icon again to unlink colors and display dashed lines.

   • Drag any marker to move it independently of the other markers and shift only that color (Figure 4.13).

     

     Figure 4.13 Shifting a single color

   • Drag a marker inward or outward (or drag the S slider) to alter the saturation of only that color.
   • Drag the slider immediately under the color wheel to alter the brightness of all the colors or drag the B slider to affect only the current marker.
   • As an optional step, click either of the icons immediately below the wheel to toggle the slider (immediately below them) between altering the saturation or brightness for all of the artwork colors.

Save Modified Colors as a Color Group

After modifying colors in the Recolor Artwork dialog box, you may save them as a group for later use.

1. Click the Name field in the upper right and enter a name for a new color group.

2. Click the New Color Group icon to the right of the field.

   A new color group appears in the Color Groups list. Clicking this color group listing while the dialog box is still open will automatically reapply these colors to the artwork.

Apply the Modified Colors

When you are finished working in the Recolor Artwork dialog box, you can apply the modified colors to recolor the selected objects by clicking OK.