Compliment color question

[Trains1985]

Is there a way to pick a random color from the color-palette, and automatically see what its complement would be?

I am creating a landscape image, with foliage, man-made objects, etc., and it would be of great benefit to be able to see examples of those objects' shadows' colors may portray them selves appearing like.

Sand Patch

[jane-e · Accepted solution]

Hi

Click in the first square in the upper left of the Color Guide panel to activate your color, then click the dropdown menu to choose a Color Rule. The first in the list is "Complementary".

~ Jane

[Trains1985]

Thanks a lot!

I will definately incorporate this technique into my artistic process.

Sand Patch

[jane-e]

You're welcome, Sand Patch.

The is a button at the bottom of the panel to add the color to you Swatches panel. See details here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/color-groups-harmonies.html

I like your name, btw. Sand Patch and Horseshoe Curve are not that far from where I am.

~ Jane

[Danny Whitehead.]

Additionally, for shadows and highlights, I generally prefer to add black and white objects with different opacities, rather than adding colours. Black-filled objects with the blending set to Multiply for shadows, and white-filled objects with the blending mode set to screen for highlights. That way, the shadows and highlights change dynamically when you change the colour of the base object.