Illustrator not linking colors from CC library with document

[hayungs]

Helly community, maybe someone here can help me, because I just canÄt find an answer anywhere else on the web.

I have a CC library with color swatches of a company styleguide. When I colorize objects in Illustrator everything works, but the colors are not connected or updated from the CC library. So when I update the library colors, nothing changes in the illustrator document.
I also can't drag an drop colors from the CC library panel onto the document objects or edit the colors from the panel (have to go into PS for that).

I could copy all my colors from the CC library to my local swatches, losing all the names, but that somehow misses the point of having the colors in the cloud.

Am I missing something here?

[Monika Gause]

That's how colors work in Illustrator.

The only thing you can do is make a feature request: https://illustrator.uservoice.com

[hayungs]

Silly me, I actually thought Adobe would have basic features in a professional software that coste me hundreds of dollars each year.

[Ton Frederiks]

Unfortunately colors in a CC library do not behave as you would expect.

But as a workaround, create rectangles and  fill them with the named global colors or spot colors from your swatches panel.

Select them and add them together to the CC library. Give the CC item a name.

The easiest way to add them to a new document is to hold down the Alt key when you drag them from the library and place them in a new document. The colors automatically get added to your swatches panel.

You can hit escape before you click to place the object(s) or delete the dragged library items because the swatches are now part of the document. 

You can do the same with patterns, gradient and brushes.

[Ton Frederiks]

And when you doubleclick the library item, it will open in Illustrator where you can change/add colors.

[hayungs]

As I said, dragging the colors from my library in the current Illustrator Version doesnt work. I need to use the context menu to move them to my swatches.

But all of that doesnt matter, because manually copying the library swatches to my local swatche (AND having to rename them one by one each time), defeats the idea of having a cloud library in the first place.

Would literally be easier to safe my local swatches as an ace file and import them manually from dropbox.
But at least we have an AI generator now. Right?

[Ton Frederiks]

Alt dragging a library object adds it to the document. 

[hayungs]

Alt+Drag any color from my CC library panel into the document does nothing.

[Ton Frederiks]

Did you first fill an object in Illustrator, added it as an object to the Library and Alt dragged it to a new document?

Just adding a color does not work, you need to use objects as containers for colors.

[hayungs]

This actually works, even when it's a weird non-intuitive workaround.
No I can at least copy the colors manually, keeping the right names, but they still don't sync, when I update the artwork in the cloud.

[Ton Frederiks]

I know, there is a lot to improve with the CC libraries.

UserVoice is the only place where we can post bugs and feature requests.

[hayungs]

I have plenty open requests on user voice that are older than 5 years without any action taken.

"We are looking into it" - Adobe doesn't care. If it doesn't immediately generates profit, they will not bother. That's why they killed XD instead of improving the solid base they already had. But enough ranting.

Thanks for your help!

[Ton Frederiks]

I know about UV requests, this onen about color in CC libraries is from 2017, but it is the only way to post bugs.

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/31943515-global...

[hayungs]

This pretty much proves my point. Last status change to "backlog" 5 years ago.

Most people don't even know that forum exists. Adobe is pretty much hiding it.

[Monika Gause]

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@hayungs  schrieb:

Adobe is pretty much hiding it.

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Uhm, no.

It's even in the Illustrator menu: Help > Submit Bug/Feature Request

[hayungs]

Adobe has over 23 millions subscribers and the top idea on user voice has 739 votes and is four years old.

[Monika Gause]

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@hayungs  schrieb:

Adobe has over 23 millions subscribers and the top idea on user voice has 739 votes and is four years old.

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That demonstrates that people don't have the time to make a feature request?

Or that it's not important enough?

Or that people have too many different workflows? Or that they perhaps don't even like the request?

Or that they don't like to search for feature requests to vote on them? 

What do you expect to happen? If you want votes on your feature request, I would suggest that you post it in your communities and get people to vote on it. 

[hayungs]

Or maybe, all the users that somehow found the user feedback option realized, that their 5+ years old requests are ignored and gave up on the system.
But I guess I am wrong, and Adobe is just a wonderful company.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @hayungs,

Sorry for the delayed response. Our product team has tried fixing this in the latest release of Illustrator 28.7.1. Would you mind confirming the version of Illustrator installed and a screen recording of the problem, if it still occurs, so we can check it with them?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav