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Create color groups



You can create color groups using the Color Guide panel or the Edit Colors/Recolor Artwork dialog box. You can also create and share color groups on the Adobe Kuler website (www.Kuler.adobe.com).

For a video on using the Color Guide to find and create color solutions, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0058. For a video on creating, editing, and experimenting with color groups in Live Color, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4019_ai.

Create a color group in the Color Guide panel

Make sure that no artwork is selected when you set the base color; otherwise, the selected artwork will change to the base color.

  1. Open the Color Guide panel, and do any of the following to set the base color for the color harmony:

    • Click a color swatch in the Swatches panel.

    • Click a color in the Color panel. (You may want to drag out the Color panel so that you can use it along with the Color Guide panel.)

    • Double-click the Fill Color in the Tools panel and pick a color in the Color Picker.

    • Using the eyedropper, click artwork containing the color you want.

    • Select artwork containing the color you want, and then click the Set Base Color To The Current Color icon .

    • Click a color variation in the Color Guide panel, and then click the Set Base Color To The Current Color icon .

  2. Choose a rule from the Harmony Rules menu.
    Note: To confine colors to a swatch library, click the Limits The Color Scheme To Colors In A Swatch Library button , and choose library from the list.
  3. To save the color group or an individual color to the Swatches panel, do one of the following: Click the Save Color Group To Swatch Panel button .

    • To save the current color group in the Color Guide panel, click the New Color Group button .

    • To save one or more color variations as individual swatches, drag the colors from the Color Guide panel to the Swatches panel.

    • To save multiple color variations as a group, select them in the Color Guide panel and click the New Color Group button .

    To name the new group, select the group in the Swatches panel and choose Color Group Options from the panel menu.

    Note: To upload your color group swatch to the Kuler website, select it and choose Window > Extensions > Kuler. In the Kuler dialog box, click Upload . You must register with Kuler before you can upload swatches.
  4. To color your artwork with a color from the color group, select your artwork and click any color in the Color Guide panel.
    Note: To color all objects in a grouped object, select it, choose Edit > Recolor Artwork, and specify options in the Recolor Artwork dialog box. (See Assign colors to your artwork.)

Create a color group in the Edit Colors dialog box

You create a color group in the Edit Colors/Recolor Artwork dialog box by choosing a base color and a harmony rule. The harmony rule uses the base color as the basis for generating the colors in the color group. For example, if you choose a blue base color and the Complementary harmony rule, a color group is created using the base color, blue, and its complement, red.

As you manipulate the colors in the color wheel, the selected harmony rule continues to govern the colors that are generated for the group. To break the harmony rule and edit the colors freely, click the Unlink button .

  1. Open the Edit Colors/Recolor Artwork dialog box, and choose a color harmony from the Harmony Rules menu, if desired.
    Note: To confine colors to a swatch library, click the Limits The Color Scheme To Colors In A Swatch Library button , and choose a library from the list.
  2. If the color bars are showing, click the Color Wheel icon to display the color wheel instead.
  3. Set the base color by doing one of the following:

    • Drag the base color marker (the largest, double-ringed color marker) around the wheel to set the base color you want.

    • Adjust the color sliders at the bottom of the dialog box.

  4. Choose a new harmony rule or move the color markers, as desired.
  5. To preview the new colors on selected artwork, click Recolor Art.
    Note: Recolor Art will recolor selected artwork when you click OK to close the dialog box. If you don’t want to recolor the selected art, make sure to deselect this option before clicking OK.
  6. Type a name in the Name box to the right of the Harmony Rules menu, and click New Color Group .
    Note: if the New Color Group icon is not visible, click the Show Color Group Storage icon .
  7. To save the new color group to the Swatches panel, click OK and close the Edit Colors/Recolor Artwork dialog box.
Note: You can also create a color group by using the Color Guide. (See Create a color group in the Color Guide panel.)