View original colors in artworks

Last updated on Oct 27, 2025

Learn how to identify where original colors appear in your artwork when recoloring in Adobe Illustrator.

When you recolor an artwork, the new colors in the selected color group replace the original colors. When assigning new colors, it helps to view where each original color appears in your artwork, especially if the artwork has a lot of details or many different colors.

Select the object in your artwork.

Select Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork, and then select Advanced Options.

In the Assign tab of the Recolor Artwork dialog box, select Click on colors above to find them in the artwork .

The Recolor Artwork dialog box displays color reduction settings with highlighted Click on colors above to find them in the artwork option.
Identify the original colors of various objects in your artwork.

Select different colors in the Current Colors column to view where they appear in your artwork.

Note

The object in your artwork that uses the selected color will appear in full color on the artboard, while all other areas of the artwork will be dimmed. To return your artwork to full color, select Click on colors above to find them in the artwork again.