Swatches panel

The Swatches panel Window > Panels > Swatches is where you can manage standard and custom swatches of colors, and apply them to contours and their fills at the level of entire elements. This panel is different from the Color panel in that the latter is a color picker, while the Swatches panel is a collection of specific defined colors. Selecting a color in the Swatches panel changes the current color in the Color panel, showing you its numeric values.

The panel has a local toolbar which displays the contour and fill color of the current element, along with the option of removing color from the contour; the Palette dropdown to select from different sets of swatches; and the toggle to switch between list and table modes. The list mode shows items in the palette with names and color icons; the table mode shows icons only. The main area of the panel shows the colors in the currently selected palette. And finally, the panel’s local status bar has buttons for adding and removing colors, opening the Palettes dialog and to apply the changes that have been made.

When working with a color font, the Swatches panel can be used to create a custom palette with all the colors you are using in that particular font. This way you can access all these colors in one place.

Applying Swatches

To change the contour color of the element, click the ring in the top left corner of the local toolbar , select the swatch and click Apply, or double-click the color in the list. If the ring is already colored, and you would like to remove the color, click the small circle with the red diagonal line across it.

To change the fill color of the element, click the circle in the top left corner of the local toolbar , select the swatch and click Apply, or double-click the color in the list.

Editing Swatches

To add a new swatch to a palette, open the Color panel and mix a color of your choice, then press the button in the status bar of the Swatches panel.

To duplicate a swatch, select it and then go the palette where you would like to duplicate it and then press the button in the status bar of the Swatches panel.

To remove a swatch, select it and press the button in the status bar.

To rename a swatch in the palette, double-click its name in the list mode, type the new name and press Enter or click the mouse cursor anywhere else in the window.

Managing Palettes

To manage palettes, click the button in the status bar, which will open up the Palettes dialog:

By clicking the name of any palette, you can preview the colors in it in a grid at the bottom of the dialog.

To add a new palette, click the button. A new palette will be added. You can type in the name you would like for it, and hit Enter. Once a panel has been created, you can add swatches to it.

To duplicate a palette, select a panel in the list and press the button.

To remove a palette, select a panel in the list and press the button.

To save a palette, select it in the list and press the button. The standard Save dialog will open: here you can choose where to save this palette and what to call it. Palette files are saved with .palettes extension.

To open a palette in the Swatches panel, click the button. This will bring up the standard Open dialog, where you can choose any .palettes file to open.

To reset palettes to default, click the button.

Once you have finished with the operations in the dialog, press OK to apply them.