In Adobe InDesign, a lot has changed, especially in the area of swatches. With the new features, you can now manage and organize your swatches much more effectively. This helps you bring more structure into your designs and optimize color management. In this tutorial, I will explain step by step how you can use the new features for organizing swatches.
Main Insights
- You can now organize and name swatches in groups.
- It’s possible to quickly select multiple colors and drag them into a color group.
- Color groups are helpful both for design in new projects and for collaboration with colleagues.
Step-by-Step Guide
First, you should open the Swatches panel to use the new features. Go to “Window,” then “Color,” and select “Swatches.”
Now you can see the panel that shows a variety of your color options. The current display may seem somewhat disorganized. With the new features, you can change that.
To create a new color group, click the “New Color Group” button at the bottom of the Swatches panel. With this feature, you have the opportunity to create a named group for your colors.
Select the colors you want to insert into this group. You can select any color here, and it will automatically be added to the new group. Let’s name this group “Strawberry Color Concept.”
You can now drag the colors into the group. This is very easy—you just take the desired color and move it to the group area. To move multiple colors at once, hold down the Shift key and select the colors.
With the new option to organize colors into groups, the workflow is significantly improved. Let’s say you want to use all shades of blue for your design. You can create a new color group, and InDesign will ask you if you want to create the group from the selected swatches or from page objects.
Choose the option “from selected page objects” and name this group “Ocean Wave Color Concept.” Confirm your selection.
The application will now create an overview of your colors, and you’ll gain better control over your color palette. Even if you don’t see all colors immediately, you can quickly get oriented. Additionally, it is now possible to save entire color groups.
When you open a new file, you can load saved swatches in ASE format. These color concepts are cross-application and allow you to reuse previously saved color combinations.
Click on “Load Swatches” and select your previously saved file, e.g., “Blue Zacks.” Once opened, all colors and color groups will be immediately available, and you can continue with your design right away.
These new features are particularly helpful for collaboration with team members or when transferring ownership of documents. This brings more clarity and order to your color management.
Summary – Effectively Organizing Swatches in InDesign CC 2014
In this guide, you learned how to use the new features for organizing swatches in InDesign CC 2014. You can now organize swatches in groups, select colors effectively, and save color concepts to reuse them in future projects. This greatly enhances the user-friendliness and efficiency of your designs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a new color group?Click “New Color Group” in the Swatches panel, select the colors, and drag them into the group.
Can I save color groups?Yes, you can save color groups and load them later in other files.
How do I load saved swatches?Go to “Load Swatches” and select the ASE file you saved previously.
Why should I use color groups?Color groups help you maintain a better overview of your colors and improve the workflow in your design process.
