Colour Swatches saved within objects

Question

Hello, we have an issue at work where files are being inundated with hundreds of swatches (see screenshot) and it is slowing files down immensely. This is also combined with hundreds of brush presets.

The problem being is that we have illustrator files we use as templates to create our work. But all of our work is now corrupted by these immense amount of swatches and brushes.

We cant use our templates without copying hundreds of swatches and brushes too.

If we delete the swatches, which takes a while to load anyway, then save the file. Even if we copy out of the file at a later date, it REGENERATES all the swatches when copied into a new document?

My question being how can hundreds of swatches be made again by copying an object into a new file?

it feels like a virus these swatches, if you delete them, they just regenerate themselves if you copy an object into a new file.

As you can imagine, this issue replicates itself, as we make more designs and more documents, more corrupted files become sources.

Junior Rocha · Answer

Hi@Josh33740383kjgf

If you open an artwork that have Global Colors, (The swatches with a triangle at the corner, with or without the dot inside).

When they are used in the artwork, the illustrator creates a link with the color and the artwork, so if you copy to another file, the swatches are copy too.

To avoid the copy of the swatches, you need to break this link to the color before copy to another file.
Go to EDIT - EDIT COLOR - CONVERT TO CMYK (OR CONVERT TO RGB if is RGB document)
This will convert the arwork colors into a regular colors that are not linked with it's swatches.
So your new file will not receive those swatches.

About regenerate the swatches again, is the same thing, before delete the swatches you need to convert to RGB or CMYK, to break the link with swatches panel, if you don't do that, cause they are global color, illustrator will recreate the swatches.

Same happen with brushes, if an artwork have a brush, when you copy this artwork to another file, the brush goes too. Cause is impossible have a editable brush on you artwork with it in you brushes panel.

If you want to copy something with a brush to another document, but you don't want that brush into the brushes panel, before copy, you have to go to OBJECT - EXPAND APPEARANCE, to convert the brush object, into a regular artwork, it keeps the appearance and breaks the link with the brush, so only the artwork will be copied, not the brush on brushes panel.

The same happens with Symbols, Patterns, Graphic styles, if you copy an object that use them on another file without add into your panels, you need to break the link with panel, using break links (for symbols and graphic style) and Expand or Expand Appearance for the patterns and brushes.

I hope this helps you!

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