How to download palettes.

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.

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.

Hi! I'm glad I found this group. I have been wondering if it's possible to download the palette tile with the custom widths? I am a sponsor if that helps!
Thanks! :)
Starr

Starr wrote:

Hi! I'm glad I found this group. I have been wondering if it's possible to download the palette tile with the custom widths? I am a sponsor if that helps!
Thanks! :)
Starr

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.

Thanks for responding! I think I wasn't asking the right question. What I wanted to know if there is a way to get the tile downloaded or to set as desktop with the custom widths. Whenever I set my desktop to one of the palettes it resizes the widths to standard and then it doesn't look as pretty.

Starr wrote:

Thanks for responding! I think I wasn't asking the right question. What I wanted to know if there is a way to get the tile downloaded or to set as desktop with the custom widths. Whenever I set my desktop to one of the palettes it resizes the widths to standard and then it doesn't look as pretty.

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.

Sure :) I think I'm still speaking in tongues! lol

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! :)

Ok that cleared it up. :)
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').

I've also wanted that feature. As far as I know its not possible at the moment. But if I were you, I would post it in the "new feature requests" section of the forums. You might get lucky!

Oh wow onebreath that's a clever way! I tried it and it works perfectly. Just remember to choose "stretch" from the "position" field if you want it to cover your whole monitor.

Thanks to both of you for trying to help my goofy self! I did manage to get the image to my desktop but the stretching caused massive blurring for me. I did as you suggested and posted it in the "new features" section. Who knows, maybe I *will* get lucky!
♥♥♥,
Starr

I'm just wondering if it's possible to download the pattern as a photoshop pattern, I can't seem to it, it would be so much easier for what I'm trying to.

Thanks

@ smileUK - well if you download that pattern tile as outlined in the post above, you can turn it into a photoshop pattern like this:

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?

I've got a question about the .ase files. I downloaded all of my palettes but I don't know how/can't figure out how to get them into Photoshop. I searched the help menu for Adobe Swatch Exchange and got no results.

CS3 on Mac.

@Buni:

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/

I have the colourlovers app on my itouch. Is there a way i can get my favourites onto it? or to download palettes to it?

Hi HopeFull,

I'm afraid I don't know. I advise you to repost your questions on one of the forums or use the Contact form.

I wanted to add that there is a site that will convert the ASE file into an XML file for those that don't have adobe (like me!). This is not my site, so I can't offer any extra support, but I am very relieved to have found it! ASE to XML Converter