How to disable automatic function of adding all used colors in document.

[Piter_H]

How to disable automatic function of adding all used colors in document. My Illustrator start to add all colors used in document even CMYK, and biuld huge group of swatches (making mess). How to turn it off. I want to have only spot colors used in document. I've searched options and forums, and I'm alone with this problem.

Illustrator 21.1.0

Mac OSX 10.10.5

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[Monika Gause]

Spot colors can't be used in Illustrator without first creating a swatch. So you don't need to create them afterwards.

So actually I don't know what your problem is.

[Piter_H]

Thank You for respond

But You don't understand, since 10 years of my work with Illustrator swatch panel shows only swatches of spot colors and manual added swatch. Now swatch panel shows all colors used in project, all kind of cmyk and it add it automatically.

[Monika Gause]

Illustrator doesn't add anything automatically.

Used swatches get added when you use the function to add them. They don't get added automatically.

[Piter_H]

Monika, I know that somewhere is an option to turn on/off adding all used swatches. But I can't fint it. Now, when I open any project, in swatches panel shows all, repeat all colors exist in my worksheet. If in my project exist 200 different CMYK colors, so I get 200 different swaches named: C=XXX M=XXX Y=XXX K=XXX. I don't want this function on, I don't want this swatches becouse it generates mess.

I repeat, till now, When I opened all project, in my swatch panel showed ONLY spot colors and manually added swatches (by myself)

My colleagues have no problem.

[Bill Silbert]

If you check out this link How to use and create swatches in Illustrator you'll see that adding all colors used in an illustrator file is a manual process. There is an option in the Swatch Panel pull-down called "Add Used Colors" that you will have to choose in order for all document colors to become part of the Swatch Panel. It does not remain checked after you use it. If your copy of Illustrator is automatically doing this then perhaps you could try resetting your preferences and see if the behavior continues.

To do so:

With Illustrator closed launch a Finder Window in column view and click on your home folder. With the Option Key pressed choose Library from the Finder Go Menu. Within the Library folder find the folder called Preferences and within it find the following two files and delete them: “Adobe Illustrator <Version #> Settings” (earlier versions of Illustrator might just say “Adobe Illustrator”) and “com.adobe.Illustrator.plist”. When Illustrator is next launched it will create new preference files and the program will be restored to its defaults.

After you’ve reset up the program (make sure that no document window is open) to your liking, it is a really good idea to create copies of your personalized “mint” preference files (make sure that you quit the program before copying them—that finalizes your customization) and use them in the future to replace any corrupt versions you may need to delete.

[Monika Gause]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Piter+H  schrieb

Monika, I know that somewhere is an option to turn on/off adding all used swatches.

You didn't read what I was saying.

There is no function that adds all colors automatically. You have to trigger that from the swatches panel's menu. If you don't "Add all used swatches" then they don't get added.

Maybe someone is playing a prank on you and adds all your swatches, but Illustrator doesn't do this.

[Piter_H]

Monika, thank You, but unfortunately it is automatic. Leave it

Bill, I think it's good idea, I'll try to reset presets by deleting preferences file. Couse this file has many cool options even rotating axes, maybe somehow swatches functionality has changed.

[Mike_Gondek]

Cześć Piter,

The option you are referring to is here:

that setting can only be done manually but I understand your issue is similar to that  triggered automatically.

I am familiar with  standard prefs and know that does not exist there. But Bill's suggestion is very good and would direct you to the nonstandard prefs.

More Thorough Reset Your Preferences.

Quit Illustrator

Finder >> Shift Command G

~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator 21 Settings/

rename Adobe Illustrator 21 to Adobe Illustrator 21 old

Reset Your Other Preferences

Quit Illustrator

Finder >> Shift Command G

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Illustrator 21/

rename Adobe Illustrator 21 to Adobe Illustrator 21 old

Can you tell us what exactly action causes these colors to be added?

• During pasting
• Opening of documents
• is this happening to all files, or just this one?

The "" Add Used colors" command adds non global colors as global so would be helpful to see what your colors look like.

[Piter_H]

Mike, problem is , that i don't want to use option "Add used colors" I know that option.

I'm still at work so I haven't check yet Bill's suggestion.

Look, i'm opening any doc, and in the swatch panel are all colors already, I deleting them or even set non global and deleting, saving doc , reopen and all swatches back again

I do as You and Bill suggest. Delete all prefs files in the locations You shown.

[Kurt Gold]

If that really is document specific behaviour, then it would be interesting to take a look at the file.

Can you share the .ai file?

[Piter_H]

It does not depend on the file,  all opened files behave in the same way....All

[Piter_H]

I deleted all prefs, Illustrator behaved as fresh installed.

Unfortunately, swatches coming back

I don't know what to do.

[Mike_Gondek]

You mentioned this happens with all documents, but yes please post a file using dropbox or similar, as Kurt requests. Any additional clue will narrow our troubleshooting.

What happens if you

1. create a new document,
2. use the deleted unused items action to clean up swatches
3. add a few colored rectangles
4. save the document with no swatches
5. reopen the document

When exactly did this start? After installing 2017 any other software..

There is a long outstanding bug with global colors returning when pasting, even if the colors are not in the clipboard. But your issue is different as this happens during opening and all the colors are added from my understanding.

[Piter_H]

Ok I done like this:

1 Created new doc (in swatch panel shows standard swatches)

2 Drawn a few rectangles with various colors CMYK

3 saved doc

4 reopened doc and new colors automaticly added to swatch panel

I've give up , i don't understand what parameter rules it

[Mike_Gondek]

This does not sound like a setting in Illustrator, if you indeed quit Illustrator before performing the prefs cleanse.

Don't give up, there is still important information we need.

• When did this start happening, was there any recent change to your system?
• Can we see exactly what type of colors are being added, are they global, CMYK, SPOT what are their names?
• Do you have anything whatsoever installed besides the Mac OS & Adobe Creative Suite?
• screenshots really help as we often find something useful in there and they say picture is worth 1000 words (Shift command 4 on mac is easier than cellphone)

Try creating a new user account on your system and do a simple test as suggested.

You could use the Adobe cleaner to properly uninstall and reinstall, but I feel we need more information before proceeding that route.

[Bill Silbert]

You can then go under the swatch Panel pull-down menu choose "Select all unused" and then delete all the excess colors.

[Piter_H]

Bill, that's correct, but i have swatches which are used , so this option doesn't work.