You can create a new color group in Adobe Illustrator by either selecting existing colors or extracting them from artwork. Here's how:
Creating a Color Group from Selected Colors:
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Select your desired colors: Using the Selection Tool (V), select the objects that contain the colors you want to include in your color group. You can select shapes, text, or any other artwork element.
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Open the Swatches Panel: If it's not already open, go to
Window > Swatches. -
Create a New Color Group: Click the "New Color Group" button at the bottom of the Swatches panel (it looks like a folder icon with a plus sign). Alternatively, you can go to the Swatches panel menu (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner) and choose "New Color Group...".
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Name and Configure the Color Group: The "New Color Group" dialog box will appear.
- Name: Give your color group a descriptive name.
- Selected Artwork: Ensure that "Selected Artwork" is chosen if you wish to create the group from the colors of the objects you selected.
- Convert Process to Global: Check this option if you want the colors in the group to be global colors. Global colors allow you to edit the color across all instances in your artwork simultaneously.
- Add Swatches: Decide whether to add the selected colors as swatches to your color group.
- Click "OK."
Extracting Colors From Existing Artwork to Create a Color Group:
This is very similar to the method above, but it ensures all colours from any selected artwork get added to the color group.
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Select your desired artwork: Using the Selection Tool (V), select the objects that contain the colors you want to extract.
-
Open the Swatches Panel: If it's not already open, go to
Window > Swatches. -
Create a New Color Group: Click the "New Color Group" button at the bottom of the Swatches panel (it looks like a folder icon with a plus sign). Alternatively, you can go to the Swatches panel menu (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner) and choose "New Color Group...".
-
Name and Configure the Color Group: The "New Color Group" dialog box will appear.
- Name: Give your color group a descriptive name.
- Selected Artwork: Ensure that "Selected Artwork" is chosen if you wish to create the group from the colors of the objects you selected.
- Convert Process to Global: Check this option if you want the colors in the group to be global colors. Global colors allow you to edit the color across all instances in your artwork simultaneously.
- Add Swatches: Decide whether to add the selected colors as swatches to your color group.
- Click "OK."
Once created, your new color group will appear in the Swatches panel, allowing you to easily access and apply these colors throughout your Illustrator project. This helps maintain consistency and makes color management more efficient.
