How you can recolour patterns tremendous simply in Illustrator [video]

On the finish of final yr, I made just a few video tutorials for my Sample Kick prospects, explaining some helpful ideas & tips to assist them take advantage of their sample recordsdata. Immediately I’m sharing one in all them with you: How you can recolour patterns robotically in Illustrator.

This video tutorial will present you change the colors of your Illustrator’s patterns and/or art work with Illustrator’s personal ‘Recolor Paintings’ function. It’s so quick and straightforward, it makes tedious work a breeze! For those who haven’t used it but, you’ll quickly be questioning the way you ever managed with out it…

As a result of I’m very conscious that I’ve a powerful accent and it may be obscure me generally, I’ve added the script under the video…

I hope you take pleasure in this tutorial and, higher nonetheless, discover it helpful… Please let me know within the feedback under if in case you have any questions in regards to the course of, if in case you have any matter requests for small tutorials like this one, or if you wish to share your individual concepts about recolouring art work in Illustrator… I’d love to listen to them!

How you can recolour patterns robotically in Illustrator

00:00 – Intro

Hello guys, immediately I’m gonna present you change the colors of your patterns very simply in Illustrator.
This manner of recolouring art work may be very useful as a result of it permits you to change the colors of the sample as a complete as an alternative of getting to recolour every ingredient by itself and also you’ll see what I imply in a minute.
First, we’re going to select another color palette to the one that’s getting used on the sample in the mean time.
I’m going to decide on one with the identical quantity of colors as the present one, which is 5, for the aim of this train.

00:35 – Selecting colors

I’ll select my new colors from my Artistic Cloud library, which is right here. Let’s discover a good color palette, let’s select this one.
I right-click on the color palette and select ‘Add to swatches’ and the color palette will get added to our swatches panel. Let’s shut Artistic Cloud.

00:58 – Recolour Paintings function

Now we’re gonna click on on the patterned object you need to recolour to pick it, and as soon as chosen you could have two methods to get to the ‘Recolor Paintings’ choice.
One is right here on the highest bar, this little button right here that claims ‘Recolor Paintings’.
The opposite one is by deciding on the color group you need to use in your swatches panel, right here, then the ‘Recolor Paintings’ choice will turn out to be seen on the backside of the swatches panel, simply right here.
Simply click on on it and this can deliver up the window we can be utilizing to alter the colors of our patterns.
You’ll be able to see the present colors of the sample on the left column. These are the colors we’re utilizing in the mean time on the sample.
On the proper column you’ll be able to see the color teams we’ve in our swatches panel. That is our present color group, Hearty Christmas, and that is the brand new color group we simply selected from the Artistic Cloud, Retro Surf.
Click on on the color group you need to change your sample to to pick it so I’m simply gonna click on on Retro Surf.
That is gonna immediately change the colors on our sample by changing every of our outdated colors with one of many new ones.
You’ll be able to see which color changed which by wanting on the left column. The present colors on the left have a brand new color assigned to them on the proper, so we are able to see this very clearly right here.
There are a great deal of choices for altering colors on this window, however I’ll present you only a couple, you’ll be able to experiment with the remainder later.

02:48 – Recolouring choice 1

The primary one is by clicking right here, on the ‘Randomly change color order’ choice. It will cycle by the colors randomly creating new color mixtures robotically for you.
You’ll be able to click on right here as many occasions as you need till you discover the look you’re going after. Then, while you discover it you’ll be able to click on on OK to exit the ‘Recolor Paintings’ window.
At this level you’re gonna be requested if you wish to save adjustments to swatch group earlier than closing. This solely signifies that the order of the colors in your color group will or is not going to change to mirror the order that you’ve got chosen for the colors right here, on the left column. I’ll click on ‘No’ this time.
Now you’ll be able to take pleasure in your newly recoloured sample. However let’s backtrack a bit so I can present you one other manner of doing the recolouring.

03:53 – Recolouring choice 2

I’ll undo the color adjustments and get again into the ‘Recolor Paintings’ window.
The opposite approach to recolour your sample from this window is by manually deciding on which color replaces which, by dragging every new color, so let’s select Retro Surf once more, so all these new colors, we’re gonna drag every of them into their respective place, reverse the color they are going to be changing.
So let’s give it some thought… On this sample I need the cream to get replaced by the purple, this inexperienced to get replaced by this inexperienced, this inexperienced to get replaced by this inexperienced, this darkish purple possibly by this inexperienced and this gentle purple can be changed with the brand new cream.
Now we are able to click on on OK once more and examine our beautiful new color mixture. Okay, this is similar, I’ll say ‘No’ this time, there you might be.

05:10 – Last notes

An vital factor to note right here is that the sample swatch for our outdated colourway continues to be there within the panel swatches, right here, we haven’t misplaced it, which may be very very useful.
The ‘Recolor Paintings’ choice created a brand new sample swatch for us with the brand new colourway right here. We are able to see it, if we go inside sample mode we are able to see that the sample parts have been recoloured with the brand new colors.
So hold that in thoughts, each time you recolour a sample a brand new swatch can be created and nothing can be misplaced, so we’ve bought the outdated one and we’ve bought our new one.
And that is it, we’re completed. Have enjoyable recolouring and any questions please let me know within the feedback.
See you subsequent time!

Let me know the way you get on and should you discovered the tutorial helpful! And in addition, are there some other strategies you’d like me to create tutorials for? Pop them within the feedback…