Master page guides

[jvidal2014]

Is it possible to change the color of guides on the master pages only? To differenciate those as "template" guides on pages where you might add other guides.

[Barb Binder]

Ruler guide color—document-wide—is controlled in Layout > Ruler Guides. They will always all be the same color.

The only workaround I can think of is to put the master page guides on their own layer, with a unique layer color. The guides will still all use the color defined in the Ruler Guide dialog box, but if you select a guide, they will be highlighted using the layer color. They will also highlight when you hover over them.

~Barb 

[rob day]

—They will always all be the same color.

Hi Barb, just to clarify, a document could have different colored guides. When you change the Layout>Ruler Guides Color, any added guides get the new color. So here I have 8 guides with different colors:

[Barb Binder]

And this is why I love the forums. Always learning. 😊

~Barb

[rob day]

Thanks Barb.

[rob day · Accepted solution]

You set the color of future guides via Layout>Ruler Guides>Color, but there isn’t a way to change the color of an existing guide other than via scripting.

So you could set the guide color before you start creating the guides for the Master pages, and then set a new color for page guides once the Masters are set. Not sur if this helps but something like this:

Master guides set as Gray:

And then as Gold for the new guides added to pages:

You could override an existing master page guide, and change its color via a script

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS · Accepted solution]

Rob--can you claifiy "you can’t change an existing guide"? I don't think I'm reading it correctly (I'm only on my first cup of coffee this morning...). I can drag a guide down from the ruler, deselect the guide, reselect the guide (if unlocked), and use the Ruler Guides dialog box to change the existing guide. 

Also, you can select all the guides on a spread (presumedly the master spread) with the Cntl-Alt-G command and use Ruler Guides to change the color. (I assume Cmd-Opt-G works on Mac but I'm not in front of my Mac at the moment.)

[rob day]

You are right I’m the one who needs the coffee. I tried a few times last night, but I don’t think I was deselecting to see the changed color.

[Barb Binder]

That's perfect, Rob. I didn't realize that the color change was for new guides and didn't impact the existing guides. Marking your answer as correct, but JVidal, if you need further clarification, please just ask us.

~Barb 

[Laubender]

Hi Creamer Training,

thank you for the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + G to select all guides on a spread.

FWIW: If that command is not available for whatever reason and it happens that all the guides are on an extra layer totally separate from other objects on other layers, one could lock all other layers but the one with the guides and invoke the menu command Select All to select all the guides.

Regards,
Uwe Laubender

( ACP )

[Barb Binder]

And I thought I knew all there was to know about ruler guides! 😂 Thanks, Dave!

~Barb