Cannot edit, add or delete a swatch from a User Defined Swatch Library

[DarrenFMc]

I create a Swatch Library containing core swatch colours used by our company.

The Swatch Library I use is usually found in Window/Swatch libraries/User Defined

I need to add or edit one or two of the swatches, but I cannot do this.

If I drag a swatch into the library window it looks like it will add it as the + symbol shows, but when I let go, the swatch does not appear.

Also, I need to edit a swatch in that library but I cannot do that either.

Also how do you delete a User Defined Library?

What am I doing wrong?

thanks

[Kurt Gold]

They are read-only. More infos:

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/illustrator/cs/using/WS714a382cdf7d304e7e07d0100196cbc5f-6282a.html

[Martin_Novev]

I can't understand how can I solve similar problem. I can't chanfe the name of the colors. I haven't made thus file, where can I fund the library?

Thanks in advance.

[dzilenziger]

Hi Kurt did you get an answer? I have the same question..they tell you how to ADD but not to DELETE

[Mike_Gondek · Accepted solution]

As mentioned they are read only. Not hard to fix though:

1. Make a new document without any swatches, drag your user defined colors to swatches palette
2. edit and add your swatches to swatches, close the user defined swatches
3. Export the swatches and save over your existing user defined swatches

Notice the pencil with the red slash, and no icons at the bottom of the user defined swatches.

[Martin_Novev]

Thank you, but I still have a problem. When I copy the swatches to the new document, everything is perfect until I place some content from the old file there. Than, there is a dialag wich asks "The color swath ............ is in conflict with the current document". The only available option is "Merge swatches". And when I click OK, voila, they are read only again. They are spot swatches, but when I remove the check mark the same thing occurs. Is there any solution?

[Mike_Gondek]

You are getting the merge dialog, because you have swatches that have the EXACT same name, yet they are defined differently. Illustrator notices this, so Illustrator is nice enough to warn you there is a conflict and wants to merge to tidy up your colors.

Your old file has the colors defined wrong, so you need to fix that. There are a number oy ways, You could draw some rectangles, fill them with the good swatches, and paste that into the document with the old defintions, you will get the merge command, but the difference is you have good color breakdowns in your clipboard, and merge will use the new values from your clipboard attempted to being added.

In regards to your readonly. Your swatches palette should never have the pencil with red slash, you may be getting your swathces and user defined palettes confused. If you find you cannot change a global color, there are other reasons such as you may have a placed image with that spot color in it. Will need more information to help you with this part, a screen shot of your swatches would be very helpful.

[Martin_Novev]

Here they are. When I try to edit the swatch, the name field is inactive. I tried to paste the colors with the ney definitions, but after selecting "merge", I get the same results. And I can't repaint the objects that uses that color, because they are unspeakably complikcated . All I need is to change the name of this spot color so It does not interfere with another spot color with same name, and same problems, in another document. They are both defined like these and I need to print them with diferent colors.

Thanks for the help.

[Martin_Novev]

Actually, it's not exactly clear in which software was that thing made. It was saved as PDF, without standards. A colleage supposed that the colours are "calibrated colors" and that's why I can't edit them. I tried to save the file as different formats, print it, optimize it and the results are the same. I've found a workaround but this problem still annoys me.

Any ideas?

[Mike_Gondek]

You can edit BLUE, only registration cannot be edited, your colleage is providing bad advice

You may have a linked or embedded graphic locking out BLUE. Uou woudl have to open that in phtohsop and edit that spot channel there first. Do you have anything in your links palette?

Make a rectangle of this blue, and paste this into a fresh new document, can you edit the swatch there?

If not there may be some garble in the code that is locking this color. You can possibly fix this by creating a fresh new document, remove all colors, then copy/paste the contents into this new document.

For your project you also may want to use the merge colors command in the flyout menu of the swatches panel. A very powerful command for cleaning up and managing swatches added in CS4.

[Martin_Novev]

Hi,

Excuse me for the delay, I just want to update the situation a little. I solved the problem by remaping colors in Kodak Prinergy. I couldn't do it any other way.

The file was made in some Esko software, Artpro, and then exported as PDF. Obviously this is the cause of my misery.:)

It seems that some of the spot colors generated in the Artpro could not be changed in any way, that I know, in Illustrator.

Thanks again for the help,

Martin

[Guest]

Thank you very very much..

[andreafalible]

thanks for the get around.