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Changing global colors and tints


    You can change the color or tint of all objects that share the same properties, or you can use the Swatches palette to change a color or tint throughout a file. You can change process colors or spot colors.

    The Tint slider in the Color palette is used to modify a global color's intensity. The tint range is from 0% to 100%; the lower the number, the lighter the tint will be. The Tint slider only appears in the Color palette when a global color is selected. It is the slider that appears directly to the right of the letter "t."

    Note: To ensure that a process color is global, make sure the Global option is selected in the Swatch Options dialog box. (See Editing swatches.)

To change the color or tint of objects with the same properties:

  1. Select an object using one of the following methods:
    • To select all objects with the same style, select an object with the style or choose the style from the Styles palette. Then choose Select > Same > Style.
    • To select all objects with the same fill or stroke color, select an object with that fill color or choose the fill color from the Color palette or Swatches palette. Then choose Select > Same > Fill Color or Select > Same > Stroke Color.
    • To select all objects with the same stroke weight, select an object with that stroke weight or choose the stroke weight from the Stroke palette. Then choose Select > Same > Stroke Weight.
    • To apply the same selection options using a different object (for example, if you have already selected all red objects using the Same Fill Color command and now you want to search for all green objects), select a new object and then choose Select > Reselect.
  2. In the Color palette, drag the Tint slider or enter a tint value in the Tint Percentage text box.

To change a global process color or a spot color throughout a file:

    Replace a color swatch in the Swatches palette using one of the following options:

    • Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a swatch from the Swatches palette over the swatch you want to replace.
    • Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a color from the Color palette over the swatch you want to replace.
    • Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) a color from the Fill box or the Stroke box over the swatch you want to replace.
    • Double-click the swatch and edit the color in the Swatch Options dialog box.

To change the tint of a global process color or spot color:

  1. Select a color swatch in the Swatches palette.
  2. In the Color palette, drag the Tint slider or enter a tint value in the Tint Percentage text box.

To save a tint in the Swatches palette:

  1. Create a tint by modifying the swatch.
  2. Save the tint in the Swatches palette using one of the following:
    • Drag the Fill or Stroke box in the toolbox to the Swatches palette.
    • Click the New button in the Swatches palette.

    The tint is saved with the same name as the base color, but with the tint percentage added to the name. For example, if you saved a color named "Sky Blue" at 51 percent, the swatch name would be "Sky Blue 51%."

    Important: Tints of the same color are linked together, so that if you edit a tint swatch, all associated tint swatches (and the objects painted with those swatches) are also changed.

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