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color_replacer [2026/10/25 02:27] – Markup fix for the DokuWiki upgrade (spaces inside bold/italic) 0.0.0.0color_replacer [2026/10/25 02:53] (current) – Help pages updated for PowerScripts 3.8 (help pages session) remoteuser
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-====== Color Replacer PowerScript ======+====== Color Replacer ======
  
 +See every colour in a document and swap the ones you don't want, fills, strokes and gradients together, in one list. Fix supplied artwork, standardise blacks, turn process colours into spot colours (or back), and keep a library of the colours you use every day.
  
-==== Find and Replace Tab====+[[https://o2creative.co.nz/shop/Color_Replacer_PowerScript_for_Adobe_Illustrator|See it in the shop]] · Version 2.1.6 · Needs PowerScripts 3.8.42 or later
  
-{{::color:color_replacer_2.0_dropdown.png|}}+===== Where to find it =====
  
-^ Option ^ Description ^ +Open the PowerScripts panel (**Window > Extensions > PowerScripts**) and choose **Color Replacer** from the **Color Tools** scripts. The script has three tabs: **Find and Replace**, **Color Library** and **Options**.
-| Find colors in | Where to get the list of colours to replace | +
-| Choose from colors in | This is the list of colors you will be changing to | +
-| Remove unused swatches | After the color replacement is run, remove all unused swatches from the swatches palette | +
-| Get Colors Button  | Clears the list and gets the colors from the selected artwork colors or swatches  | +
-| Add Colors Button  | Adds the selected artwork colors or selected artwork colors or swatches to the list | +
-| Clear Button | Clears the color list |+
  
-==== Using the Color Replacement List ==== +===== Quick start =====
-{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_list.png|}}+
  
-^ Option ^ Description ^ +  - Select the artwork (or set **Find colors in** to **All Swatches**). 
-| Name Column | Displays the found color name  | +  - Press **Get Colors**. Every colour is listed, with how many fills, strokes and gradients use it. 
-| Spot Formula Column | If the found color is a Spot Color, displays the actual spot color formula (Hidden on narrow panel)  | +  - In the **Replace with** column, choose a new colour for each colour you want to change. Leave the rest blank. 
-| Color Block Columns | Shows a preview of the color before and after replacement **Click on the right color swatch to edit the color** | +  - Press **Replace Colors...**.
-| Replace With | What to change the color to  <WRAP> +
-  * **Blank** : No action taken, color is not changed +
-  * **No Color** : Remove the color from the fill or stroke  +
-  * **New Color** : Creates a new color with you can edit by clicking on the right color swatch +
-  * **Converted** : Converts the color from Sport >  Process or Process > Spot +
-  * **Library** : Lists your library colors (by default filtered by CMYK or RGB to match the document color mode +
-  * **Spot Matches**: Lists the closest spot colors (will not show if no close mating colors) +
-  * **Found Colors**: Lists the found colors +
-</WRAP>| +
-| Fills Column | The number of times this color is used in a fill | +
-| Outlines Column | The number of times this color is used in a outline / stroke | +
-| Grad  | The number of times this color is used in a gradient |+
  
 +===== Options =====
  
-==== Color Library Tab ====+==== Find and Replace ====
  
-{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_libn.png|}}+{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_dropdown.png|The Find and Replace tab}}
  
-Here you can define a list of common Library colors you want to always display in the dropdown list +^ Option ^ What it does ^ 
 +| **Find colors in** | Where to get the colours to replace: the **Selection**, **All Swatches** or **Selected Swatches** | 
 +| **Choose from colors in** | Where the replacement colours come from (they're added to the **Replace with** list) | 
 +| **Get Colors** | Clears the list and gets the colours again | 
 +| **Add Selected** | Adds the colours of the selected artwork or swatches to the list | 
 +| **Clear** | Clears the list | 
 +| **Removed unused swatches** | After replacing, remove the swatches nothing uses any more | 
 +| **Replace Colors...** | Does it. On big artwork a **Stop** button shows while it works |
  
-==== Options Tab ====+==== The colour list ====
  
-{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_options.png|}}+{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_list.png|The colour list}}
  
-  * **Include Library colors in replace list** +^ Column ^ What it shows ^ 
-  * **Only include Library colors matching Document Color Mode**: For example if your document is CMYK only CMYK colors will be showing in the replace with dropdown +| **Name** | The colour's name | 
-  * **Edit existing Spot/Global Colors** If checked you can change the formula of spot colors, this will change the color in the swatches panel and all artwork using the color will also change. Not checked by default +| **Spot Formula** | For spot colours, the actual formula (hidden when the panel is narrow) | 
-  * **Find closest matching Colorbook Color** +| Colour blocks | The colour now, and what it will become. Click the right-hand block to edit the new colour | 
-  * **Number of matches to show**  +| **Replace with** | What to change the colour to (see below) | 
-==== Release Notes ==== +| **Fills**, **Strokes**, **Grads**, **Total** | How many times the colour is used in fills, strokes and gradients |
-  * **Version 2.0.0** +
-    * April 19th 2019 +
-    * Requires 3.5.0 +
-    * Major Update +
-  * **Version 1.1.2** +
-    * July 29th 2017 +
-    * Requires 3.2.9 +
-    * General update +
-  * **Version 1.1.1** +
-    * February 1st 2017 +
-    * Requires 3.2.9 +
-    * General update +
-  * **Version 1.1.0** +
-    * January 19th 2017 +
-    * Requires 3.0.0 +
-    * General update +
  
 +The **Replace with** list offers:
  
 +  * Left empty: no change.
 +  * **[None]**: remove the colour from the fill or stroke.
 +  * **New Color**: a new colour you set by clicking the right-hand colour block.
 +  * **Converted**: the same colour converted from spot to process, or process to spot.
 +  * **Library**: the colours from your **Color Library** tab.
 +  * **Spot Matches**: the closest colours from a colour book, for example the closest Pantone (only when there are close matches).
 +  * **Found Colors**: the other colours in the list.
  
 +Tints are kept: a 50% tint of a colour becomes a 50% tint of its replacement. Two colours can be swapped in one go (red to green and green to red).
 +
 +==== Color Library ====
 +
 +{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_libn.png|The Color Library tab}}
 +
 +Your everyday colours, such as house colours, standard black or rich black. They're always offered in the **Replace with** list.
 +
 +==== Options ====
 +
 +{{:color:color_replacer_2.0_options.png|The Options tab}}
 +
 +  * **Include Library colors in replace list**: show your library colours in **Replace with**.
 +  * **Only include Library colors matching Document Color Mode**: in a CMYK document, only offer your CMYK library colours (and RGB in an RGB document).
 +  * **Edit existing Spot/Global Colors**: change the formula of a spot or global colour itself, so the swatch and all artwork using it change. Off by default.
 +  * **Find closest matching Colorbook Color**: offer the closest colours from the colour book below as **Spot Matches**.
 +  * **Number of matches to show**: how many of them.
 +  * **Colour book**: the book to search. The button next to it opens your own colour book (.acb or .ase file).
 +
 +===== How to... =====
 +
 +==== Standardise blacks in a supplied file ====
 +
 +  - Set **Find colors in** to **All Swatches** and press **Get Colors**.
 +  - For every near-black (for example 0,0,0,95 or a rich black you don't want), choose your standard black from **Library**.
 +  - Press **Replace Colors...**.
 +
 +==== Turn CMYK artwork into spot colours ====
 +
 +  - Select the artwork and press **Get Colors**.
 +  - For each colour, choose **Converted** (a spot colour of the same formula) or a Pantone from **Spot Matches**.
 +  - Press **Replace Colors...**.
 +
 +===== Tips =====
 +
 +  * Save a replacement list as a preset (see [[using_presets|Using Presets]]) and use it on every file from the same customer.
 +  * To change one colour at a time with a ranked list of Pantone matches, see [[find_spot_color|Find Spot Color]].
 +  * Undo (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z) puts everything back.
 +
 +===== Good to know =====
 +
 +  * Gradients are recoloured too, in fills and strokes.
 +  * The panel tells you how many shapes were changed.
 +
 +===== What's new =====
 +
 +  * **2.1.6**
 +    * New: a long replace can be stopped: it shows how far it has got.
 +    * Fixed: two colours can now be swapped in one replace (red to green and green to red).
 +    * Improved: about three times faster on big artwork, gradient strokes are recoloured too, and general bug fixes and reliability.
 +  * **2.1.3**: Updated for PowerScripts 3.8.32.
 +  * **2.1.2**: Updated for the new version of PowerScripts.
 +  * Older changes: [[releasenotes|PowerScripts Release Notes]]
  
color_replacer.txt · Last modified: by remoteuser