Cannot apply colorful gradient to text, only grayscale?

[Disney Up, Boiler Up!]

I'm having an issue when I try toapply gradient to a text, it will only produce either all black or greyscale. The color of the text is set to RGB, and the gradient has no option to change RGB.

I change to a solid color it's fine, but only greyscal or black with gradient. Please help. thank you.

[Disney Up, Boiler Up!]

Also. there are no color swatches to choose from. I also tried to make the text a compound path, I was able to apply some gradient, but it was very dingy. Still no option to change to RGB.

[Barbara Ash]

To apply a gradient fill to text, in the Appearance panel, select Add New Fill. Then choose the gradient you want to use as the fill.

[Ton Frederiks]

"Also. there are no color swatches to choose from"

You have opened a .png file. Images do not contain swatches. 

If you want to add swatches to your file, you can choose them from the Swatches panel menu.

[Disney Up, Boiler Up!]

My Swatch panel is blank.

God Bless,
Brandy Kennedy

[Ton Frederiks]

My Swatch panel is blank.God Bless,Brandy Kennedy
By @Disney Up, Boiler Up!

Yes, because you opened an image and images do not contain swatches.

Load swatches from the Swatch panel menu.

[Disney Up, Boiler Up!]

But I'm not trying to apply a gradient to a image, I'm trying to apply gradient to text, that was created in Illustrator.

[Ton Frederiks]

Load the swatches and create a gradient, select your text with the arrow selection tool and fill it with none.

In the Appearance panel, add a new fill and use the gradient.

[Monika Gause]

This is how swatches in Illustrator files work: https://youtu.be/A_4ad8hs67Y

And here is a video of how to apply a gradient to text (what Barbara and Ton explained already): https://youtu.be/DX-pGz5VyHc