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How to get colors from library into swatches?

Participant ,
Jun 10, 2021 Jun 10, 2021

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In Illustrator I can right-click on the color in my library and select "add to swatches". I do not see that option for Photoshop. I've been doing a workaround of making a square and using the eyedropper, then adding the color to swatches. Or I write down the hex code and manually enter it in. 

 

There has to be a better, more efficient way to work with the libraries. 

 

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48 Comments
Contributor ,
May 23, 2021 May 23, 2021

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I've downloaded some colour swatches from Adobe Colour to my Photoshop library.

How can I get these colours from ym library into my swatches panel please? Right clicking and drag/dropping doesn't work.

Thansk for any pointers.

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Community Expert ,
May 25, 2021 May 25, 2021

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Why do you need the Swatches in the Swatches Panel? 

 

I don’t know how to get the data from the library itself, I suspect @DBarranca might be able to help, but the issue might fall into the scope of his professionally offered services. 

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Contributor ,
May 25, 2021 May 25, 2021

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"Why do you need the swatches in the swatches panel"

 

- this question answers itself.

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Community Expert ,
May 25, 2021 May 25, 2021

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No, it does not. 

 

Let me try asking in a longer sentence: 

If the Swatches are there in the Library why do you need them to be in the Swatches Panel also? 

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Contributor ,
May 25, 2021 May 25, 2021

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To use them as swatches.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 12, 2021 Jun 12, 2021

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When you say "colors from library" I'm not sure what you mean. A library in Photoshop? Have you used the Preset Manager to save a set of colors? You can then load that into Swatches.

sample-113.jpg

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Community Expert ,
Jun 12, 2021 Jun 12, 2021

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You can right click on the color in the Libraries panel, click Set Color which makes that color the Foreground Color in the toolbox, then from the Swatches panel flyout menu click New Swatch Preset.

 

 

Screenshot-(131).png

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Community Expert ,
Jun 12, 2021 Jun 12, 2021

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Newer photoshop cc versions have a Libraries panel and have depreciated the Preset Manager in favor of doing the preset organization in the relevantly named panels.

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/cc-libraries-in-photoshop.html

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new/2020.html#improved-presets-desktop

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 15, 2021 Jul 15, 2021

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It shouldn't be this hard to use libraries. Honestly. Why are you making this so diffiuclt? One simple step "add to swatches" from the themes panel and you can't just leave well enough alone. This is convoluted and time consuming. 

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Engaged ,
Aug 03, 2021 Aug 03, 2021

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I'm using the latest PS for Windows and Mac as of this post.

 

I have 18 swatches in my CC Library that I need to add to a PS Swatches Group. I thought there'd be an obvious way to do this, but it doesn't appear to be. I tried exporting the Library colors which has an extension of .cclibs, but when I try to import this, PS doesn't support this format. I also looked in the CC app > Your Work but didn't see any option there either.


It's only an island if you look at it from the water.

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Community Expert ,
Aug 03, 2021 Aug 03, 2021

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Very easy. Doubleclick the swatch. It wil do 2 things

  1. update your foreground color
  2. add the color to your swatches.

2x click wher I circled on your library swatch to add teh light freen to swatches

MikeGondek_0-1628032311458.png

 

Then to add to a swatch group click n the rectantgle with plus sign icon.

MikeGondek_0-1628032667070.png

 

 

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Engaged ,
Aug 08, 2021 Aug 08, 2021

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Thank you for your reply. I tried what you said, but the 2nd part doesn't work. When I double click, the swatch in the library does load into the foreground color, but it does not load into my Swatch panel. The two attachments show what happens before I double click and after.library-1.jpg

 

library-2.jpg

 


It's only an island if you look at it from the water.

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New Here ,
Nov 25, 2021 Nov 25, 2021

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I have quite a few custom swatches and in the past I have always saved them as and .aco file.  I am now learning how to use the libraries and like the idea behind them, but I have not been able to figure how to move them enmass to the library.  I have seen postings about how to move swatches from the library to then swatch panel but nothing on how to move them from the swatch panel to the library.  Please help!!

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Community Expert ,
Nov 26, 2021 Nov 26, 2021

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CC Libraies are incredibly useful.  One of my favourite Photoshop features.  You can create a new library group for each client, and save colours, fonts, smart objects etc. to that Library, and access it any time from anywhere in the world with internet access.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'll let this person explain

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Community Expert ,
Nov 26, 2021 Nov 26, 2021

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Something else that might be helful, if you use Photoshop to draw or paint, then a lot of Photoshop artists make colour pallets inside the document window 9on its own layer of course.  You can right click and grab any of the colours in your pallet.  You can also mix colours together to create exactly the hue you need.

 

Make Hundreds of Color Palettes from 1 COLOR! - Design Tutorial - YouTube

 

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New Here ,
Dec 04, 2021 Dec 04, 2021

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Sorry doesn't help.

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Advocate ,
Dec 12, 2021 Dec 12, 2021

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I just discovered that the Color Themes Panel has been taken out of the Adobe Products. With the help of a YouTube video I went to color.adobe.com and picked a couple of color themes to add to my Library. In the video, the YouTuber right-clicked on the color theme in the Library and had the option "Add theme to swatches". My color themes don't have that option when I right-click on them. Instead, I only have the option "set color" which ends up adding only one color (the one I right-clicked on) to the swatches panel. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?  Thanks!

 

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Community Beginner ,
Dec 14, 2021 Dec 14, 2021

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I am totes confused about getting colours from the Libraries window into swatches.
And I know I can sample each colour in the Library and add via the colour picker, but there must be a more intuitive logical integration than this. 

 

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Community Expert ,
Dec 15, 2021 Dec 15, 2021

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Hi! Converting to feature request. Please cast your vote and explain why you need it that way. 

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Community Expert ,
Dec 15, 2021 Dec 15, 2021

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Merging to a feature request, please vote, and explain why you need that feature.

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Community Expert ,
Dec 15, 2021 Dec 15, 2021

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Merging to a Feature Request. please vote ane explain why you need them in the swatches.

BTW, the right-click option add to swatches was in Illustrator, I think.

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New Here ,
Apr 21, 2022 Apr 21, 2022

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Because I need to export the color palette in .ase or .aco format and send it (or upload it) so others can import them for their use

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Explorer ,
Oct 28, 2022 Oct 28, 2022

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When trying to pick type colors, they can't be sampled when they're in the library. Type uses the color picker which doesn't sample CC library colors.

 

It's rediculous because path based shapes use the swatch palette to select color, and that interface CAN access the CC library, but type used a different interface object.

 

Imho, Adobe really should be simplifying their tools rather than adding more interface complexity.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 08, 2023 Mar 08, 2023

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Also the layer-effect color pickers don't work on library-colors, but only on local swatches. Totally ridiculous and annoying.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 17, 2023 Mar 17, 2023

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Hi, @starstruck80 try the click in image and drag towards the swatches gesture, not so great with overscroll, might need another bug on the topic...

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