Objects “forget“ color swatch

[Thomas Ganter]

Hi,

 

maybe this is also a misunderstanding becaue I am so much InDesign-indoctrinated, but I have problems managing colors.

I have created a color swatch palette for the CI colors of our parish and use that to assign to elements in Publisher (text, frames, fills, stokes, ...).

Now, in InDesign, once I change the swatch all objects that use the swatch will be automatically updated.

In Publisher, this does not work.

 

So, either my expected behaviour is wrong (user defect).

Or the expectation is justified and I'm too dumb to correctly use it (user error).

Or it is indeed a bug.

 

Which one is it?

--Thomas

 

[MikeW]

I feel your pain.

Swatches are, well, different in APub. There are a few kinds of the things. There are swatches--like you've already created. The there are Global colors/swatches. And spot color swatches. And may they pretty much ever remain separated...you cannot make a global color/swatch into a spot color swatch, for instance. Or, whatever way around. I hate the swatches.

What you want to create is a Global swatch--one from each of the swatches you've already created. Then you get the fun of recoloring everything you have already colored with the stupid regular swatches. Manually. I hope there are not a bazillion elements to recolor.

I better leave it alone here. This is one of the topics that raise my blood pressure.

[thomaso]

On 8/24/2019 at 9:29 PM, MikeW said:

What you want to create is a Global swatch--one from each of the swatches you've already created. Then you get the fun of recoloring everything

... but before starting this procedure: be aware that Global swatches are saved only with this particular document in a the specific type of "Document" palettes. – And it gets more weird:

– You are allowed to export such a custom Global swatches document palette.
– And you are allowed to import it as Application palette. (those palettes are available in every document)
Such import results in a palette named "Document" (regardless of its exported name) and appears in the Application Palette menu with the app icon.

Exported + imported palette:
  

But such imported swatches have lost their global icon & property and also their overprint icon & property – and, though they still may have their spot icon they have lost their spot property, too. After all, they, of cause, still have their name, which might be auto-given when created and start with "Global Colour" +  a number.
But indeed, they are 'normal' swatches with a useless spot icon. On export such a spot swatch isn't spotty:

That means: To use a Global swatches palette in other documents you must either use copies of that document or import the according palette for every document.
To make it not too easy: Don't think about to copy/paste objects between documents to get their swatches transferred. This does not work, too.

Last but not least a specialty about Global swatch names and their appearance in the Colours Panel:
Obviously a Global swatch may have 2 names. Its second name is in brackets below. This 2nd name is its Spot color name on export, you may name it individually and also rename it later. For instance:

     

 

This right-click menu at a Global swatch also includes the use- and helpful option to make a swatch overprinting.
In case of a 'normal' swatch you have a slightly different menu with the option "Make Global".
(But, as MikeW pointed out: you are not allowed to turn an existing swatch into a spot swatch.)

  

 

 

 

[MikeW]

Thanks for listing the gory details concerning global colors, thomaso. I think.

Swatches was one of the first complaints I had when I first got AD. At that time I mentioned the way they work better change by the time APub arrived. 

Now I need a drink. Or ten. 

[000]

Enjoy your drink ... I have currently a couple of files in which I run in these issues and am happy to join you. 

[fde101]

On 8/24/2019 at 5:38 PM, thomaso said:

Such import results in a palette named "Document" (regardless of its exported name) and appears in the Application Palette menu with the app icon.

You can have more than one document palette, and each can be [re]named.  The name it imports with would be the name the palette had when exported, not the name of the file used to contain the palette upon export.  "Document" is the default name given to a document palette when created.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 5:38 PM, thomaso said:

But such imported swatches have lost their global icon & property

This is appropriate as only document palettes may contain global colors.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 5:38 PM, thomaso said:

also their overprint icon & property – and, though they still may have their spot icon they have lost their spot property, too.

These sound like bugs.