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Since a few days I seem to have a problem when I want to copy and paste and object filled with a pattern.
First I make a pattern swatch of a blue and white dot. Then I make a few colour variations of that same dot and make different pattern swatches for each. This is all fine.
I fill my shape with the blue and white dot, copy paste it and change the pattern fill to one of the other patterns I have just created using the swatches. Works fine still.
Then if I copy and paste the object with the new pattern it will paste the object filled with the old blue and white dot and not with the new pattern. That's where it goes wrong!!! What is going on??? It never used to do that.
This happens in the same document and in a new one - so the pattern swatch is already there, besides that it shouldn't matter because it used to automatically paste the new pattern in the pattern swatches if it ws a new document.
I don't use spot colours, so that is not the problem! I change the colours of the existing pattern and make a new pattern swatch, I've been doing this for years, but it seems like the new swatch isn't working properly now. I'm looking for a solution not a run around.
I reported it here, where Illustrator engineering is looking for bugs:
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Hi all,
We have tried to address this issue in our latest release v25.4.1. Please update Illustrator to the latest version to get this fixed. For more details, please refer to this UserVoice page ( https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/43713711-pattern-swatches-behave-unexpectedly-in-25-3-1 )
Please feel free to reach out if you still need assistance, we'd be hapy to help.
Regards,
Srishti
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I don't know if the problem is with the pattern swatches our with the colours. I save my colour swatches per project (not per file), so when I need colours I open up user defined colour swatches.
I can use them to colour anything, but when I copy paste a pattern using the user defined colours it swithes back to the first colour combo I ever used to make that pattern.
If I copy the colours into the new pages swatches (don't know what to call it) it works fine.
This is strange and it would not be very efficient to copy paste all user defined swatches into each page file I'm working on.
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Do your patterns have different names?
If you paste an object with a pattern into a document that has a pattern with the same name, the pattern from the document will be used.
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Thank you for your response. That is definitely not the problem, because I have never in my life given a pattern swatch a name (or a colour swatch for that matter). I have been using Illustrator for about 20 years now and have never ran into this problem before.
I think the problem is with the user defined colours actually, because when I copy the user defined colours into the pages/ specific file colour swatches I have no problems with anything colour or pattern related.
Which means that for some reason the user defined colours are no longer working, even after saving new swatches. As I said I have never named any of my swatches and never had any problems before. I just name the group of colours, not the individual colours. It would be strange if naming colours or patterns would be necesary. I believe something else might be causing some sort of glitch. The question is what.
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If you don' give your patterns names. they get a default name like New Pattern, New Pattern 2, New Pattern 3.
Copy an object with a pattern with one of these names in a document that has a pattern with the same name, will result in the pattern from the document you paste into.
It is useful to give your patterns unique names to avoid these conflicts.
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Thank you for the tip. It is surprising that this is the first time this has happened in all these years.
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You were lucky...
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There might also just be some sort of glitch in the file. I have no idea.
I just made a new page from scratch and it works fine. When I did this earlier it didn't solve the problem, that's why I decided to ask for help.
Illustrator works in mysterious ways sometimes.
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Hi!
I'm having the same issue and I never had this problem before.
Were you able to fix it?
Thanks a lot!
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Do your patterns have different names?
If you paste an object with a pattern into a document that has a pattern with the same name, the pattern from the document will be used.
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Yes, they do have different names
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Then I am at loss. If you can share 2 documents with patterns with different names that change pattern upon pasting, we can have a look.
Share using Dropbox, CC file sharing, WeTransfer or Google
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Could there be some sort of problem with the clipboard due to a Windows update?
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Same here. It hasn't been resolved even with giving the patterns names, so I think it is something else. Altough sometimes it does happen, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it even happens if I copy to completely new file. I'm totally confused.
I recently did a major windows update..?? Illustrator hasn't had any recent updates, or has it?
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Don't know about Windows, but Illustrator is currently on 25.3.1
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I'm on a Mac, so it's ios for me, then it shouldn't be Windows...
I did updated to Big Sur a couple of weeks ago, but the problem appeared today
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FIXED!!!!!!!
My oh so awesome son fixed it for me!!!!
You have to uninstall the latest version (25.3) and go back one version (25.2.3) and it all is fixed!!!!!!!
WARNING: Doing this will erase your preferences (i.e.: custom workspaces) but so worth it for me!
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Mmm, I am at 25.3.1 and cannot reproduce it.
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After going back problem is fixed!
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Thank you so much MariannaD will definitely do that, coz it will be so worth it indeed!! I'm on 25.3.1 so I'm going back to 25.2.3 as well.
This means the problems is sith Illustrator 🙂
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Thank you so much!! This issue was driving me nuts!! I reinstalled Illustrator 25.2.3 and It's fixed Now!
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I think it would be useful to bring this to the attention of the Iluustrator engineers, if they are not aware of the problem it will not be fixed in a newer version.
They don't follow this forum, but they follow the posts here:
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I reported it here, where Illustrator engineering is looking for bugs:
Please add your vote and relevant details
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Done!
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I will do that as well, since I found out today my colleagues seem to have the same problem. Thank you.