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Created Sep 28, 2007
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The un-official FAQ - A group for sharing information about the COLOURlovers - tips and tricks, instructions, questions and answers of all kinds. If you dont know where to start, look in the "index" conversation.
klip
On the palette's page, below the "palette stats" area you will find the "download palette" buttons. They allow you to download palettes in a number of different formats.
ASE - downloads a "Adobe Swatch Exchange" file - can be used in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, CS2 and CS3
PS - downloads an ACO file - a Photoshop Swatches File
AI - downloads a Adobe Illustrator file, which opens in Illustrator as a new document with the relevant palette displayed in the Swatches palette.
CS - download a Color Scheme Studio palette
HTML - downloads a HTML page with the colors specified as RGB and Hex values with an internal CSS stylesheet.
ZIP - downloads a zip file with all of the above neatly packaged - not including the Adobe Swatch Exchange file.
Downloading patterns or "why is my pattern download blank when I open it in illustrator?
You cannot download a pattern as a vector file that can, for example, be edited in Illustrator.
Clicking on any of the "download palette" llinks will get you the palette of the pattern, not the pattern itself. When you open it in illustrator, you will see what appears to be a blank page. But if you look in the swatches palette, you will see the palette of colours that you downloaded.
Downloading a pattern tile
You can download a small image tile of the pattern, a bitmap "pattern tile" that can, for example, be edited in Photoshop.
On the pattern's page, click on the "download this pattern" link on the right of the page, just above the comment area. This will open the pattern's tile image in a new browser page. Right click (or ctrl click on a mac) and choose "save this image".
You can also right click (or ctrl click on a mac) on the pattern and choose "view background image". Then you can save that image to your computer.
Or you can download the pattern as a desktop by clicking on one of the "get this pattern image" options just above the "download this pattern" link.
Sponsors can download all their colors and/or all their palettes in one .ase file. Go to your profile, click on 'Edit this page' then on the Settings tab. What's a sponsor? Read all about it here
How to use a downloaded palette in photoshop
Download the PS or ASE version of the palette. (Notice that the PS version has the file extetion .aco)
Now in Photoshop, open the Swatches palette (Window > Swatches)
Click on the context menu button (the little arrow at the top right corner of the palette)
You will see a whole long list of options. Choose "load swatches"
A browser window will open.
Browse to the "Colour Swatches" folder in which you placed the downloaded palette. Select it. It should open in the swatches window, ready to use.
Note that if you downloaded the "ASE" version there is an extra step:
In the Replace Swatches browser window, there is a field labelled "files of type". Choose "Swatch Exchange (ASE) from the drop down list.
You can see a version of this step by step complete with screenshots here.
To use a downloaded palette in Adobe Illustrator
download the AI format of the palette
You should be able to right click (or ctrl click on a mac) and choose "open with illustrator"
To use a downloaded palette in Flash.
At the moment ( to the best of my knowledge ) you cannot.
My best workaround is this:
Right click on the palette image and save it on your computer.
Open in an image editor and save it as a .gif.
Now you can load it in Flash as a swatches file like this.
In Flash, open the Swatches palette (Window > Swatches)
Click on the context menu button (the little arrow at the top right corner of the palette)
Choose Replace Colours.
A browser window will open in which you can browse to where you saved the .gif image. It should open as a swatches palette in Flash.
onebreath
Starr
Thanks! :)
Starr
onebreath
No, it's not. Downloading a palette means downloading its colors only. However you can click on the palette and save it as an image by right-clicking with your mouse on the appropriate link.
Starr
onebreath
Could you explain what you do exactly, please? What you click on, which link your select, etc. I'm trying to understand what you mean by downloading and setting a palette as a desktop.
Starr
On the right hand side of the page in the "About This Palette" section there is a place where you can "Get This Palette Image" and you click on your screen size and it will open a new window with the palette showing up as your screen size so you can set it to desktop or save it, etc.
When you do this, however, the palette image has fixed widths for the colors, instead of the custom widths that I (or other colourlovers) have set. What I'm wanting is the palette image with the custom widths.
This palette image has custom widths...
... but I am not able to see those widths except for this view and the one on the mail palette page, located here:
Deeper Tulips Palette
So in a round about way I'm asking if there is a way to get the image with the custom widths at high resolution so I can print it out and hang it on my wall or put it on my desktop etc.
Sorry to be so confusing! =/
But thanks for trying to help me despite it! :)
onebreath
As I said above, the only way I know to get a bigger version of your palette, widths included, is to click on the thumbnail version of the palette on your palette page:
This will open a bigger version of your palette:
You can then save that image (in my web browser, Mozilla Firefox, I must right click on the image then select 'Save Image As' or directly 'Set As Desktop Background').
klip
klip
Starr
♥♥♥,
Starr
SmileUK
Thanks
klip
Open the pattern tile in Photoshop.
Choose Select > All
Go to Edit > Define Pattern. Give it a name. Now it is a photoshop pattern.
That help?
bunigrl33
CS3 on Mac.
onebreath
Here's a tutorial explaining how to use these .ase files:
http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/11/08/color-palettes-in-adobe-swatch-exchange-ase/
HopeFull
onebreath
I'm afraid I don't know. I advise you to repost your questions on one of the forums or use the Contact form.
parafinity
MasMavi
Funny, I cannot find these buttons anywhere. ANYWHERE. Perhaps this "FAQ" is outdated?? Very frustrating realizing my artwork is stuck in here. Real person help please?
(Do NOT love this loosey-goosey message board way of providing help. Not indexed, not updated, not alerted when my question's replied to, etc. Why reinvent the wheel??? And why no decent tutorial?)
laceyest