Suggestions for improvement of color palettes

[iPeter]

I have the following suggestions for improvement to make working with the Colors palette easier and more efficient:

• When working professionally, it is usually necessary to use the document color palette, because you usually need a clear color list with the colors that are specifically needed in the document as is the case, for example in most layout programs (such as InDesign and QuarkXPress). Therefore, it would not be bad to be able to set in the preferences that when creating a new document, the document color palette is always automatically selected and displayed as default. In the preferences you could also set the color palette view (e.g. color swatches or list of colors).
• Furthermore, it would not be bad if this document color palette already contained a few important colors, as in InDesign and QuarkXPress: The three CMYK basic colors, a black which is already set to overprint and a color for registration marks. Until now, unfortunately, you have to create these special colors manually each time. This is very annoying, especially with the black, because you usually need it for the text, which always has to be professionally overprinted.
• It would also be generally better with the color palettes if you could change some color options, such as color names directly in the color list. Up to now, you always have to open the color dialog window of the respective color first. This could be done like in InDesign, where you click in the list name and move the mouse cursor out a bit.
• On the other hand, it would not be bad to be able to set some color settings in the color options dialog window, which until now can only be changed via the context menu of the selected color (e.g. spot color/color spot or overprint).
• In the document color palette you could also add that when you create a new color, you can take one from another palette in the program (e.g. insert a Pantone color into the document palette).

I hope that some of these things can be implemented in newer versions. The preset options alone would be a great help when working.

[loukash]

16 minutes ago, iPeter said:

when creating a new document, the document color palette is always automatically selected and displayed as default. In the preferences you could also set the color palette view (e.g. color swatches or list of colors).

Agreed that it should be automatically selected.

But you're aware that you can create a default document palette for each new document, right?
Swatches panel → "hamburger" menu → Set As Default For
The issue is just that it's not selected when you create a new document.

31 minutes ago, iPeter said:

it would not be bad if this document color palette already contained a few important colors, as in InDesign and QuarkXPress

Oh, sorry to disagree, but that would be bad.  
The first thing I've always done when (re)installing Adobe apps was to make sure that all those swatches (and styles and whatever, you name it) that I'll never need don't appear in any new document I create. 

But fear not, this is exactly what the aforementioned "Set As Default For" is about: create your document palette that suits your needs and make it your default.

35 minutes ago, iPeter said:

if you could change some color options, such as color names directly in the color list

36 minutes ago, iPeter said:

it would not be bad to be able to set some color settings in the color options dialog window, which until now can only be changed via the context menu of the selected color (e.g. spot color/color spot or overprint).

100% agreed!

39 minutes ago, iPeter said:

In the document color palette you could also add that when you create a new color, you can take one from another palette in the program (e.g. insert a Pantone color into the document palette).

Hm, you can already do that:

1. create any random swatch in your palette, even a blank transparent will do
2. via context menu select Edit Fill → Swatches and pick the one you want
3. again via context menu make it global
4. you will have to name it manually though, look up the original Pantone# via Rename Spot first, copy that and paste it into the Rename Global Color dialog

This whole workflow (or rather the lack thereof) is pretty clunky though.

[iPeter]

2 hours ago, loukash said:

Oh, sorry to disagree, but that would be bad.  
The first thing I've always done when (re)installing Adobe apps was to make sure that all those swatches (and styles and whatever, you name it) that I'll never need don't appear in any new document I create. 

But fear not, this is exactly what the aforementioned "Set As Default For" is about: create your document palette that suits your needs and make it your default.

InDesign always includes the following default color swatches (at least the first 7):

Actually, only the first 4 in particular would be required (Transparent, Paper White, Overprinted Black, Registration Mark Color). I am of course aware that the Transparent color is of course always selectable as a property in the Affinity programs anyway (so would actually not be absolutely necessary either).

2 hours ago, loukash said:

• you will have to name it manually though, look up the original Pantone# via Rename Spot first, copy that and paste it into the Rename Global Color dialog

I totally forgot about the global color fields in my consideration (actually I wanted to mention them as well). Of course it wouldn't be bad here, if you could select or deselect this function more easily (still missing in the context menu or in the options dialog window of the colors; I think you can only do this with a method so far). Here a presetting option of the user would also not be bad, that if you want when creating a new color automatically already has a global color, as it is also in InDesign and QuarkXpress. Of course, this would only make sense in Affinity Publisher and Designer. After all, you might want to change colors globally at the same time.

[loukash]

Just now, iPeter said:

InDesign always includes the following default color swatches

I know.
As I said: 

2 hours ago, loukash said:

The first thing I've always done when (re)installing Adobe apps was to make sure that all those swatches (and styles and whatever, you name it) that I'll never need don't appear in any new document I create.

Same for QXP back in the 1990s.

3 minutes ago, iPeter said:

Actually, only the first 4 in particular would be required (Transparent, Paper White, Overprinted Black, Registration Mark Color).

They are "required" within the color swatch concept of Adobe.
Affinity is not Adobe.
White, Black, 50% Gray and Transparent are already "featured" in the Swatches panel and all corresponding flyout panels anyway, regardless which palette is active.
Registration is something the majority of users will never need, hence it's somewhat hidden in the hamburger menu.

[Artemya]

On 10/8/2023 at 2:24 PM, iPeter said:

On the other hand, it would not be bad to be able to set some color settings in the color options dialog window, which until now can only be changed via the context menu of the selected color (e.g. spot color/color spot or overprint).

I agree ! Moreover, it would be nice to have a switch for spot color (as for overprint). Currently, it seems you cannot convert a spot color into a regular (non-spot) one.

Edited June 28 by Artemya