How can you create a swatch from a jpeg in Illustrator CS4?

[Mon_G1]

I am trying to create a jpeg image into a swatch in Illustrator CS4. In previous versions you could simply drag the image into the swatches toolbar and it would convert it automatically. Now when I do that nothing happens. When I click on new swatch it creates a colour swatch instead of the actual image itself.

[_scott__]

The Swatch Panel can not contain jpgs. Never could. You must have been doing something differently in the past.

[Mon_G1]

Is there a way to create an image as a swatch illustrator? I have been able to do that in the past, by dragging the image onto the illustrator art board and then into the swatches pallette.

Kind Regards

[Wade_Zimmerman1 · Accepted solution]

You have the image placed as linked, you have to place or embed the image then you can make it a swatch.

zbtw it is a very bad idea to put your e-mail and other personal info in your posing there are spammers who mine the forum for such info.

But that info if you desire to in your profile and you can elect to have everyone see it.

[KC29]

Wade_Zimmerman wrote:

it is a very bad idea to put your e-mail and other personal info in your posing there are spammers who mine the forum for such info.

Within the next few days you will have more offers of cheap Viagra than you can possibly deal with

[PrepressPro1]

Making a swatch from a jpg is new to me. If I place a jpg and embed it, I can then use the eye dropper tool to sample colors from the jpg and make swatches.

[Mylenium]

Use the Auto Trace command with the Add to Swatches option to only add the colors from the image to a swatch palette, or at least the maximum 256 of them.

Mylenium

[gprobst]

When you say you would drag the image itself into the Swatch Palette and it would show the image itself? How would then use this swatch? Can you give an example of what you would apply a jpeg to as a swatch? The only palette that I can think of off the top of my head that you can drag a jpeg into and have the icon appear as the jpeg is the Symbols Palette. Is is possible that you were using the Symbols Palette in the past and not the Swatch Palette?

[PrepressPro1]

Just try it, I just did. Drag a jpg to swatches and it showed up as a pattern swatch. Truly a teachable moment.

[gprobst]

I'm going to put my dunce hat on and go sit in the corner for a bit.

I just tried it, as well, and it created a pattern swatch without hesitation. Of course, this doesn't explain why it isn't working for the O.P.

[Scott Falkner]

gprobst wrote:

Of course, this doesn't explain why it isn't working for the O.P.

Nobody read post #3.

[PrepressPro1]

Scott, I understood this had been answered, but others in the thread still didn't understand or could not get this to work. I just like to try techniques posted myself, and confirm that they do work. This is a great learning tool and I learn new things about illy all the time.

[gprobst]

...or just didn't read it thoroughly enough. So, the reason it wasn't working for the O.P. was that it was placed as a linked image. Correct?

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Correct! it was placed as a link image and that does not work.