Problems with Global Colours (Designer in Windows).

[meachp]

Firstly, my apologies if this has been asked before.  I did search for an answer but couldn't find one.

So, I'm following a course on Designer and I set up three shapes with the same colour, then right click on the last one created to add to swatch and create a global colour.  When I edit fill to change all the colours, only the last shape created changed.  At least it did the first time - all subsequent attempts failed to change anything.  Next I did a bit of digging and found an alternative method - from the swatch panel menu there's an option to create global colour, so I created a single shape, used it's colour to set up the global one and when I clicked edit fill it worked!  Once - all subsequent attempts failed.  On one of the failures I tried an experiment - after selecting edit fill I used the colour picker from the ensuing box to select the colour from the shape I'd used in the first place, accepted that colour (no change apparent as in theory they were the same colour anyway), then hit edit fill again, changed the colour and Yay!  it worked.  But, yes, you've guessed it - only once!  I can't repeat it.  I've closed and re-opened Designer, shut down and re-started my PC but none of the methods will work again.  There must be a simple setting I'm missing - anybody any ideas?

[Wosven]

Hi @meachp

When you create a global color, Designer won't apply this new global color to your shapes, unless you select your shapes and apply the global color (it's the same if you use the colors palette or the menu to add global color).
When you create a new global color from a shape, you need to apply this color to the shape (the swatch is selected, a light white border is visible). 

Colors can be the same, if some are global colors you applied to shapes, changing the swatch color will change color of your shapes, but if the colors aren't applied to shapes, they'll stay the same.
Don't forget to create and apply color swatches to your shapes.

[Alfred]

36 minutes ago, Wosven said:

Colors can be the same, if some are global colors you applied to shapes, changing the swatch color will change color of your shapes, but if the colors aren't applied to shapes, they'll stay the same.

It would be so much simpler if all colours were global colours! If you had some objects in your design that you wanted to keep the same colour when you changed others, you could just use a separate instance of that colour and never change it.

[Wosven]

But if you're painting you use a lot of colors and usually don't need them as global.
I usually create a palette first hand and add colors if I need few of them. When there's too many colors, I don't add them, since a TSI adjustement will give better results if I need to change them.

An option to add colors from another palette to an existing one would be better (instead of having more than one document's palettes when we add another one).

 

[meachp]

1 hour ago, Wosven said:

When you create a new global color from a shape, you need to apply this color to the shape (the swatch is selected, a light white border is visible). 

Thank you - that makes sense.  But, (newbie here), how do I do that?

[Alfred]

1 minute ago, Wosven said:

But if you're painting you use a lot of colors and usually don't need them as global.

I agree that you usually don’t need them as global, but I can’t see that it does any harm!

 

[Wosven]

You select your shape/on a gradient: the round that represent the selected color and you click on a swatch.

[Wosven]

Just now, αℓƒяє∂ said:

I agree that you usually don’t need them as global, but I can’t see that it does any harm!

On a painting that create a lot of different colors, perhaps it would slow down the app?

I'm used to working on apps in which you need to create colors before using them (ID, QXP), and other where it's not necessary, and I it can be clutered when there's too many colors in the swatches palette… when painting, we just pick them here and there with no need for a palette.

Perhaps it can be an option if it's necessiting a lot ressources?

[meachp]

Hi Wosven, and thank you!  I knew it would be something simple and it was - I wasn't clicking on the global colour icon to highlight it before right clicking to edit the fill.  It works perfectly now, thanks again.