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Nancy Y
Nancy Y
Participant
March 14, 2026
Answered

New to Adobe Express - Can you change the color of an element or design asset to a brand color?

  • March 14, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 232 views

I was looking for a good alternative to Canva. But I need to be able to change the color of design assets or icons. For instance a black arrow to orange. Is that possible in Adobe Express? I do not appear to have any tool bar like I’ve seen in video tutorials. Thanks for any assistance!

 

    Correct answer Rose DV

    Hey ​@Nancy Y!

    Thanks for reaching out! You’ll want to make sure anytime you’re looking to change a specific asset that you’ve selected that asset (by clicking on it, or choosing the layer on the right-hand side that it’s in). 

    • Design assets are a little more limited in terms of color changes - you can click on a specific design asset you’ve put into your Express file and navigate to the “Effects” tab on the “Edit” menu and adjust color from there. 

     

     

    • Icons are much easier to shift color, and you can absolutely input a brand color there - click on the icon you’d like to change color for, navigate to the “Edit” menu, and choose a custom color from there!

     

     

    Let me know if this works for you, or if you have other questions!

     

    Rose

    3 replies

    Michael buelens
    Michael buelens
    Participant
    May 13, 2026

    Yes you can but as mentioned it’s not that straight forward.

    So in Canva you can directly edit the fill color of any placed .svg asset, which is pretty cool.

    Adobe Express can do that too, BUT ONLY if you dragged an .svg straight into your project. (so not from a library or brand, reason is found below)

    This option however is not available for icons and graphics placed from a brand or library because those are linked assets.

    To recolor these I use a workaround. The best one I’ve found is by using the duotone effect.

    Now make sure that the icons you add to your brand or library are filled with pure black (no other colors). Then when applying the duotone effect you can select your desired color to apply to the shadows. And because your icons are black it will correctly apply your chosen shadow color to the black.

     

    If you don't know, now you know
    Rose DV
    Community Manager
    Rose DVCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    May 13, 2026

    Hey ​@Michael buelens!

    This is such a helpful addition to the thread - thank you! The duotone workaround for recoloring linked brand/library assets is great, and love the tip about making sure icons are pure black first.

    I'm going to highlight your response so others can find it easily. Really appreciate you sharing this with the community!

    Rose

    DasBoots
    DasBoots
    Participant
    April 30, 2026

    This is not true at all. I do not get an option to change color when I attempt to edit.

     


    When clicking on Effects, I am not given any choices to change color

     

    ​​​​

    Rose DV
    Community Manager
    Rose DVCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    April 30, 2026

    Hey ​@DasBoots!

    Thanks for sharing those screenshots - that helps clarify what you’re seeing.

     

    What you’re running into is expected behavior, though it’s not that intuitive. Design assets/images work a bit differently from icons when it comes to color editing. With most design assets, the “Effects” panel is the only option available, which is why you’re seeing filters rather than a direct color picker or hex input.

     

    Direct color changes (like setting a specific brand hex color) are typically only supported for icons and certain vector-style elements.

     

    If you’re aiming for a specific brand color, using icons (or SVG-style assets) will give you much more flexibility.

     

    Hope this helps!

    Rose

    DasBoots
    DasBoots
    Participant
    May 1, 2026

    Thank you Rose! I’m just an amateur without a clear understanding of workflows putting in diesel instead of gas. This makes total sense.

    Okay Adobe Express, you live on in my universe and take back my insults. 

      Rose DV
      Community Manager
      Rose DVCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
      Community Manager
      March 17, 2026

      Hey ​@Nancy Y!

      Thanks for reaching out! You’ll want to make sure anytime you’re looking to change a specific asset that you’ve selected that asset (by clicking on it, or choosing the layer on the right-hand side that it’s in). 

      • Design assets are a little more limited in terms of color changes - you can click on a specific design asset you’ve put into your Express file and navigate to the “Effects” tab on the “Edit” menu and adjust color from there. 

       

       

      • Icons are much easier to shift color, and you can absolutely input a brand color there - click on the icon you’d like to change color for, navigate to the “Edit” menu, and choose a custom color from there!

       

       

      Let me know if this works for you, or if you have other questions!

       

      Rose

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