Color names

[Printworksqld]

When creating a color palette from a file, I get all the color swatches but they have no pantone names or any name at all. How can I tell what the colors in the document are?

 

Also does designer have a find & replace tool like FreeHand does or an Insert path tool?

[Andrew Tang]

When creating a color palette from a file, I get all the color swatches but they have no pantone names or any name at all. How can I tell what the colors in the document are?

 

Are you in list mode?

[Daniel Gibert]

Hi. I can corroborate this one. in RC8 GM3 if you add a Pantone to the document, in document palette is listed as Global Color 1, global color 2, etc. Pantone name is not preserved in list mode. Curiously, in the Color Palette appears as Global Color 1 (name of pantone) so, somehow, color name is stored in color info, but not shown in list. I've attached screenshot.

 

Issue is that Pantone name is stored in the "Spot name" field but list shows name in "Global color name" one. I don't understand why a color has two different name fields, never mind if is spot, global, rgb or cmyk. It should have a unique name or, at least, should be added to palette with the same name on both fields.

 

Also, one for the translation team, I had a hard time figuring what "punto" was about. At last I realised it was your direct translation of "Spot" as in Spot color. but in Spanish spot color term is "Tinta Plana"

 

[Andrew Tang]

Hi. I can corroborate this one. in RC8 GM3 if you add a Pantone to the document, in document palette is listed as Global Color 1, global color 2, etc. Pantone name is not preserved in list mode. Curiously, in the Color Palette appears as Global Color 1 (name of pantone) so, somehow, color name is stored in color info, but not shown in list. I've attached screenshot.

 

Issue is that Pantone name is stored in the "Spot name" field but list shows name in "Global color name" one. I don't understand why a color has two different name fields, never mind if is spot, global, rgb or cmyk. It should have a unique name or, at least, should be added to palette with the same name on both fields.

 

Also, one for the translation team, I had a hard time figuring what "punto" was about. At last I realised it was your direct translation of "Spot" as in Spot color. but in Spanish spot color term is "Tinta Plana"

 

That might be a bug with creating a global colour from a pantone automatically. I see no reason why the names can't be the same if none already exist.

 

The reason spot names and global names are different is because we allow editing of global colours.

 

I'll give you an example:

- You use a global colour, which is set with a Pantone,  in your document onto multiple objects.

- You can now edit that that global colour from the Pantone, to a CMYK colour.

- All your objects which uses that global colour will now reflect the change from the Pantone colour to a CMYK colour.

- The global name remains the same, but it no longer uses the Pantone colour.

 

This allows you to use the same Pantone colour (or any other colour) in multiple contexts as you can assign multiple global colours to the same Pantone (or any other colour). Thus allowing only certain objects to change when you edit those colours.

 

I hope that makes sense.

[Daniel Gibert]

That might be a bug with creating a global colour from a pantone automatically. I see no reason why the names can't be the same if none already exist.

 

The reason spot names and global names are different is because we allow editing of global colours.

 

I'll give you an example:

- You use a global colour, which is set with a Pantone,  in your document onto multiple objects.

- You can now edit that that global colour from the Pantone, to a CMYK colour.

- All your objects which uses that global colour will now reflect the change from the Pantone colour to a CMYK colour.

- The global name remains the same, but it no longer uses the Pantone colour.

 

This allows you to use the same Pantone colour (or any other colour) in multiple contexts as you can assign multiple global colours to the same Pantone (or any other colour). Thus allowing only certain objects to change when you edit those colours.

 

I hope that makes sense.

 

I'm sure is a bug. As you say, there is no reason for having different names on color import. (But also means there is no reason to have two separate names)

 

I understand your reasoning, but I find it very overthinking. I don't like to make comparison with Illustrator or Freehand, because the point is that i want Designer replacing them completely on my work, but Designer approach is very overcomplicated and confusing.  Both Illustrator and Freehand are very direct. Double click a color and change its properties in a single dialog. Never mind color names, color mode, spots or nothing. Simply double click, disconnect spot ticker and voila, is a CMYK color. Double click, dropdown menu and choose color RGB, voila. Double click, and name it whatever you want.

 

In designer you have a dialog for converting to spot, a dialog for converting to global, a name change dialog for spot, a name change dialog for global, a palette for color mix the color, separate options for edit global… all of it spreaded in multiple dialogs and palettes. Still don't understand the two naming reasoning, because the color name is independent on how the color is setted. Even something as easy as changing color name can't be done over the color. You need to go a separate dialog for it.

 

In your example, using same a pantone on different globals, is pointless to have dual names in each color. Simply duplicate the Pantone and change its name and color format. Is as easy as that. Pantone are not closed worlds, are simply color definitions. Is the same to choose a Pantone and convert it to CMYK global that creating a CMYK global using Pantone values, so dual-naming is pointless. Duplicate, modify and rename. That is. Is how has been for decades. Direct.

 

Both illustrator and freehand does more in a single double click dialog. Logic dictates that double clicking a color should give you all formatting options at once. Result is that it consumes a lot more of time to manage color assets in Designer that other apps.

 

Your's, your grumpy user ;-)

[Andrew Tang]

In your example, using same a pantone on different globals, is pointless to have dual names in each color. Simply duplicate the Pantone and change its name and color format. Is as easy as that. Pantone are not closed worlds, are simply color definitions. Is the same to choose a Pantone and convert it to CMYK global that creating a CMYK global using Pantone values, so dual-naming is pointless. Duplicate, modify and rename. That is. Is how has been for decades. Direct.

 

It's not quite as simple as that since the spot name is what goes out to the printer press while global names are used to identify colour groupings in the application. Bear in mind not all Pantones are spot colours, and hence will do exactly what you want (there is only one name since the printer will used the process colour). If you duplicate a Pantone spot colour and rename its spot name, it no longer becomes a colour that the printer will recognise as a spot colour, but it will treat it as a processed colour.

 

Also, if you have user defined spot colour (so it isn't a Pantone defined colour), you can set a global colour to it on the fly and back again because they aren't the same thing.

 

I agree we do expose quite a lot of the functionality and most of the UI can be (and will be) streamlined and improved. But these things will take time. :)

[Printworksqld]

I don't believe how a simple question about a simple thing like "what are the colours in a document & what are their names" can be this complicated. I love FreeHand because it does everything so logically & simply, this was what I was hoping for in Affinity, will I be dissapointed?

[rui_mac]

Yup, agreed. FreeHand did it soooooo well.

[pwallace]

When I select a Pantone colour, why does the name change to Global Colour1?

I need it to stay as a Pantone 485 C  so that it will separate properly as a spot color on my film.