save a recolour preset to use on other elements

[kohesion]

Hi, is there a way to save a preset for the 'edit colours' tool? I have many leaves I am trying to recolour (after tracing them to vector from hand painted water colour) I dont want to keep having to add the colour pallete from libraries, then edit colours etc etc.... actions dont seem to work in illustrator anymore? 

[Monika Gause]

Unfortunately you cannot save the settings.

You could rpepare a document template that already has your desired color palette as document swatches. In the simplified interface for recolor artwork you can also select document swatches as a recolor palette.

[kohesion]

Thanks Monika. I had a feeling that was the case 😞 And actions? do they work ?

[Monika Gause]

Actions don't work in there either.

If you want to redefine a specific set of colors with a specific set of other colors in the same way, then maybe you can do that with an action outside of recolor artwork, but then it will not adjust the in-between colors or do color reduction or anything like that. So if you can describe the job in a very precise way, then maybe someone has an idea to have it automated.

[kohesion]

Thanks Monika,

I've tried the automation option with no success. Do you have any clue how to select only the darker green shades of the middle row and shift those to the first dark red colour bar (so that first row can recolour to be the olive green?  Also, I have no clue where the dark red colour is even coming from in the first place?!

[Monika Gause]

That middle row is pretty dense. Other than selecting them one by one I don't see any other method. You could try and open the recoloring options and then change how the color is sorted. Maybe that gives you a better starting point.

As for where the color is coming from: if you cannot see it when using the find color button in Recolor artwork, then you can write down the values, then draw a rectangle, assign a fill of the color and then Select > Same > Fill color. Then do the same with the stroke. If you also have patterns and brushes or symbols in that artwork: it will get very tedious.