Color Guide panel overview

Last updated on Oct 27, 2025

Learn how the Color Guide panel helps you customize color variations, swatch groups, and harmony rules for your artwork.

To open the Color Guide panel, select Window > Color Guide.

The Color Guide panel shows Color Guide panel menu, Harmony Rules menu active color group and many more.
Use the Color Guide panel to customize harmony rules and color groups for faster color choices in your artwork.

A. Harmony Rules menu and active color group B. Set as base color C. Active Colors D. Color variations E. Limit the swatch group to colors in a swatch library F. Edit Colors or Edit or Apply Colors depending on selection G. Save swatch group to Swatch panel H. Color variations I. Color Guide panel menu 

Color Guide panel options

Options

Function

Harmony Rules

Select the dropdown menu to select the Harmony rule and active color groups.

Set Base color

Select a color from active colors or the Color panel to set it as a base color.

Limits the swatch group to colors in a swatch library

Select the icon and then select a library from the list to confine colors to a swatch library.

Edit Colors or Edit or Apply Colors

Select the color group with no artwork selected, and then select Edit Colors to open the Edit Colors dialog box. To edit the selected color group and apply the edits to the selected artwork, select Edit or Apply Colors

Color Guide menu options

In the Color Guide panel, select the Color Guide panel menu icon.

Options

Function

Hide Options or Show Options

Switches the display between fewer or detailed options in the panel.

Color Guide Options

Allows you to set the the number, type and range of color variations that appear in the panel.

Show Tints/Shades

Adds black to the left-side variations and white to the right-side variations.

Show Warm/Cool

Adds red to the left-side variations and blue to the right-side variations.

Show Vivid/Muted

Reduces saturation toward gray on the left and increases it on the right.

Note

If you’re using spot colors, use the Tints/Shades variation and select colors from the right side of the variation grid. All other variations convert spot colors to process colors.