Need help with Edit > Defaults

[Brian_J]

I'm confused by how Edit > Defaults works in AP and AD. I had the defaults set up the way I wanted them, but made a change and somehow messed them up. I've tried Edit > Defaults > Factory Reset, then creating elements how I want them and Synchronize from Selection, and Save, but can't get things back to how I want them.

Are the color selector defaults independent from the defaults for shapes and curves? I want the color selector to default to black stroke and white fill, but when I set the default for the rectangle tool, for example, the color selector defaults to the rectangle too defaults in new documents.

These are the defaults I'm trying to set:

Color Selector: stroke black / fill white
Shape Tools: stroke none / fill #EBEBEB
Pen Tool: stroke #000000 / fill none

[R C-R]

49 minutes ago, Brian_J said:

Are the color selector defaults independent from the defaults for shapes and curves?

I am not sure what you mean by "color selector." As explained in this help topic:

Quote

Vector content defaults are stored separately for stroke and fill attributes, art text attributes, and frame text attributes.

So the default stroke color attribute is independent of the fill color attribute but each is shared among the various vector shape types.

[Brian_J]

1 hour ago, R C-R said:

I am not sure what you mean by "color selector."

I'm referring to these...

I thought they used to default to black/white, but now when I create a new document they are set to the default I set for the shape tools.

[R C-R]

1 hour ago, Brian_J said:

I thought they used to default to black/white, but now when I create a new document they are set to the default I set for the shape tools.

That's how it is supposed to work -- whatever you set for the default colors for those tools is shared across all vector shape tools, one color for fills & the other for strokes.

So you cannot have a separate 'global' stroke & fill color set just for the color selector.

[Brian_J]

I guess my memory isn't serving me well. Thanks for your help @R C-R.

I find the default a bit confusing. The defaults for the Shape Tools and Pen Tool are somewhat independent, but not completely. It seems the default stroke width can be set differently for the Shape and Pen Tools, but the stroke color cannot. If different defaults are set for the Shape and Pen Tools, in a new document, the color selectors populate with the Shape Tools defaults... so I guess the Shape Tool defaults get priority over the Pen Tool in the color selectors.

I just can't wrap my head around why the defaults and color selectors behave the way they do. Not a major deal... I'll get used to it.

[R C-R]

3 hours ago, Brian_J said:

The defaults for the Shape Tools and Pen Tool are somewhat independent, but not completely. It seems the default stroke width can be set differently for the Shape and Pen Tools, but the stroke color cannot.

I am not seeing that behavior. If I select either a curve made with the Pen Tool or a 'quick' shape (Rectangle, Cog, Ellipse, whatever) & use Edit > Defaults > Save, that becomes the default for both kinds of objects, including stroke width, stroke style, stroke alignment, & color.

[Brian_J]

56 minutes ago, R C-R said:

I am not seeing that behavior.

Yeah, I've seen that behavior... where setting defaults for either the Pen Tool or 'quick' shape sets default for all vector tools. But it is possible to make them different. I think what I finally settled on are actually the factory defaults that you'd get with Edit > Defaults > Factory Reset. I'd do a screencast showing setting them up how I have them, but I've reset them so many times -- which includes the defaults I set for the Artistic Text and Frame Text tools -- that I'm growing weary of thinking about it. 😂

But this screencast shows that the defaults are set differently for the shape and pen tools...

[R C-R]

14 minutes ago, Brian_J said:

But this screencast shows that the defaults are set differently for the shape and pen tools...

Try this:

1. In a new document, draw a rectangle (or an ellipse, or cog or whatever other shape you want)
2. Set its stroke width & color to something hard to miss like 10 px width & a bright red.
3. Make sure it is selected with the Move Tool
4. In the Edit > Defaults menu select "Save"
5. Now draw a shape with the Pen Tool

Do you still get different defaults for the shape & Pen tool?

[Brian_J]

@R C-R Yes, when I follow the steps you outlined, it does change the defaults of the Pen Tool.

But after following your steps, try this:

1. Create a new document.
2. Draw a shape (rectangle, ellipse, cog, or whatever).
3. Change the fill color of the shape.
4. In the menu: Edit > Defaults > Synchronize from selection.
5. Again in the menu: Edit > Defaults > Save.

Do your Pen Tool and Shape tools now have different defaults?

I've tried so many combination of Synchronize, Save, Factory Reset, creating a curve and shape in the same document before save, creating only one object in a document before save, selecting the objects and save, not selecting the objects and save.... I get inconsistent results. I can't figure out what the intended behavior is or the proper sequence to perform steps.

To add to my confusion, the Pen Tool seems to ignore the fill and stroke colors in the color selector -- curves are created with the default color. Shape tools seem to honor whatever colors are in the color selectors... so if I want the default colors I have to Edit > Defaults > Revert. I don't understand if this is because of actions I've performed prior to using the tools, settings, or if it's just intended behavior.

I'm utterly confused by the vector tool defaults.

[R C-R]

59 minutes ago, Brian_J said:

But after following your steps, try this:

1. Create a new document.
2. Draw a shape (rectangle, ellipse, cog, or whatever).
3. Change the fill color of the shape.
4. In the menu: Edit > Defaults > Synchronize from selection.
5. Again in the menu: Edit > Defaults > Save.

Do your Pen Tool and Shape tools now have different defaults?

No, the defaults remain the same for Pen & shape tools but note that at the end of the context toolbar of the Pen Tool there is a "Use Fill" checkbox. If that is unchecked, the Pen Tool will not have a fill (default or otherwise). It is a "sticky" option, meaning it remains in its current state until you change it.

1 hour ago, Brian_J said:

I've tried so many combination of Synchronize, Save, Factory Reset, creating a curve and shape in the same document before save, creating only one object in a document before save, selecting the objects and save, not selecting the objects and save....

Don't overcomplicate this. It does not matter how many objects there are in the document. Just select one vector shape or curve in your document to use with the sync, save, or revert option.

[Brian_J]

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

Don't overcomplicate this.

That's asking a lot, but I'll try not to. 😂

2 hours ago, R C-R said:

note that at the end of the context toolbar of the Pen Tool there is a "Use Fill" checkbox.

Ah, that clears things up... thanks! I have Use Fill disabled and was oblivious to that setting being there.

The last question in my mind is the difference between disabling Use Fill in AP and AD. In AP, curves drawn with the Pen Tool (with Use Fill disabled) have no fill and no stroke (0 px). In AD, Pen Tool curves have no fill and a 1px black stroke. It doesn't appear that the Pen Tool is adding the stroke based on the stroke I applied the last time I used the tool (see video). Any idea if the difference between AP and AD is just the way it is or something I've somehow set up?

[R C-R]

20 hours ago, Brian_J said:

Any idea if the difference between AP and AD is just the way it is or something I've somehow set up?

Maybe the shape/curve defaults are different in AP than in AD?

What happens if in either app, you create a new document, add a rectangle (or whatever), set it to a distinctive fill color, stroke color, & width, & use Edit > Defaults > Save to make it the default; & then duplicate that procedure in the other app?