swatches linked to vector graphics

[flyingfalanis]

I work for a company that is switching from freehand to illustrator. The main focus of our concern is creating vector graphics in illustrator and having them "linked" to specific swatches that should be labeled according to the piece of graphic it is representing. Example: :) , this smiley face would have a swatch titled face fill- and need to be connected to just the yellow of the smiley face. And seperate swatches for the eyes, mouth, and finally the outer outline of the smiley face. I need to be able to substitute colors in just the swatch palette, and they would immediately effect the vector graphic "linked" to it. There should be a possibility of multiple vector graphics "linked" to a specific swatch. If anyone has a clue as to what direction i can take around this, your help would be greatly appreciated

[scottie]

Q-Do you have AI CS2?
If yes, do you have the help files.
Q-Do you own a CS2 info book?
Q-Was this possible in Freehand:
P-In HELP check out "creating a live paint image" "using a live paint image"
Have fun, experiment, then go crazy.

[AdobeAce]

Hi flyingfalanis,

Yes! You can change the name of a PMS Spot Color in Illustrator CS2 -- as long as you change the "Color Mode" of the Spot Color from "Book Color" to "CMYK" first.

To access the dialog window to do this, you just double-click on the Spot color name in the Swatches palette.

See attached screenshot.

Hope this helps!

[The Repro Kid]

The book mode is new to illustrator.

what you are asking has always been available in Illustrator since day one, it's just a matter of knowing how swatches work in Illustrator.

It's all about whether or not you swatches are "global," and if they were global before or after you assigned them to a shape.

This is how illustrator has always worked.

First the process swatches:
By default, all new process swatches are not global. What global means is that editing the swatch will affect all shapes filled with the global color, whether they are selected or not. But your swatch must be global before you assign it to a shape.

If you made a swatch called "HotRed" and left it as the default non-global and filled some objects, editing the swatch would not change the shapes unless they were selected while editing the color.

Now, if those shapes were filled with HotRed and, with no shapes selected, I edited my HotRed to change it to global and then changed the color of HotRed, the shape's colors would still not change because the swatch has to be global before it is assigned to any shapes.

If I had the HotRed swatch, changed it to global, and then assigned it to my shapes, any edits to the swatch afterwards would change all objects that were colored with HotRed, whether they were selected or not.

Now the spot swatches:
By default spot color swatches are global. This is a little different now because of the new swatch book mode.

Before the book mode all spots were by default, global process swatches, just the way Ace describes. The only difference now is that in book you cannot edit the color recipe. The global option is grayed out and you must convert the swatch from book mode to process to change the color's breakdown, but notice changing from book to process mode, the global option is now available, this time global is checked by default, not unchecked, because spot colors are global by default.

There are no new features in illustrator that help you do the types of things you are describing. Illustrator has always had these capabilities.

[G4pj]

You can define symbols, patterns, brushes, swatches, etc, and when you save the Illustrator file, all options associated with the symbols, patterns, swatches, etc are saved with the file. Colors (spor or process), strokes, fills, filter and effects with the details of the effect. Then it's a good idea to give the file a unique name, CompanySwatches.ai or CompanyPatterns.ai, and save it the according to other same type of files, swatch files where ai stores swatch files, symbol files where ai stores symbol files, then you can access the files, Window > Swatch Library > CompanySwatches. Pattern files seems to be the only fly in the plan, store them where they are the most convenient to access. Update files as needed.

When you refer to these files, color information, scaling information, ALL usage information is available for use. And don't forget to backup files.

[The Repro Kid]

Patterns and Gradients also have their own folder alongside Symbols and Swatches in Illustrator's Presets folder. They are accessed using "Other Library..." at the bottom of the list of Window-Swatch Libraries >

With older versions of Illustrator you had to go to Window-Swatch Libraries >

With newer version you can use the flyout menu on the swatches or symbols palettes.