Select Window > Color from the menu to open the Color panel.
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Get started
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Learn the basics
- Illustrator on desktop technical requirements
- Supported file formats
- Homescreen overview
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- Properties panel overview
- Set properties with precise values
- Control panel overview
- Contextual Task Bar overview
- Discover panel overview
- Learn faster with the Discover panel
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App preferences and settings
- Set app preferences
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- Built-in accessibility features of Adobe Illustrator
- Create accessible content in Adobe Illustrator
- Set up screen reader support
- MacBook Pro Touch Bar in Illustrator overview
- Illustrator controls and contextual operations in MacBook Pro Touch Bar
- Use Microsoft surface dial in Illustrator
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Learn the basics
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Add and import files
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Start new files
- New Document dialog overview
- Create documents using presets
- Create and save custom document presets
- Create documents using blank templates
- Create files with large canvases
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- Rotate canvas view
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Start new files
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Use generative AI
- Common questions about generative AI features in Illustrator
- Generate scenes, subjects, and icons
- Generate similar variations without text prompts
- Generate patterns
- Manage pattern variations
- Edit generated patterns
- Generate shape fills
- Scenarios with repeat shape fill generation
- Recolor artwork with text prompts
- Generate vector graphics to expand artwork
- Options to expand the expanded artwork
- Generate print bleed
- View 2D objects from new angles
- Manage generated variations
- Scenarios with linked variations
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Draw shapes and paths
- Learn drawing basics
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Draw shapes
- Draw lines
- Draw line segments with the Pen tool
- Draw curves with the Pen tool
- Draw straight lines with the Pencil tool
- Draw straight lines followed by curves
- Draw curves followed by straight lines
- Draw arcs
- Draw stars
- Draw spirals
- Draw two curved segments connected by a corner
- Draw shapes with the Curvature tool
- Preview the path
- Draw freeform paths with the Pencil tool
- Pencil tool options
- Reshape paths with the Pencil tool
- Extend paths with the Pencil tool
- Connect two paths with the Pencil tool
- Modify live shapes
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Modify paths
- Create smooth paths with the Smooth tool
- Refine path segments with the Smooth slider
- Select and edit path segments
- Select anchor points to modify paths
- Convert anchor points on a path
- Average the position of the anchor points
- Add or remove anchor points
- Turn off automatic addition or deletion of anchor points
- Find and delete stray anchor points
- Copy paths
- Auto simplify paths
- Manually simplify paths
- Simplify paths advanced options overview
- Simplify path benefits
- Cut paths
- Erase paths using the Eraser tool
- Erase parts of a path
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Manage objects
- Select objects
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Arrange objects
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Edit objects
- Divide or split objects
- Cut objects with the Knife tool
- Duplicate objects
- Create duplicate objects using Offset Path
- Edit similar objects
- Edit groups with similar objects
- About clipping masks
- Create clipping masks
- Edit clipping masks
- Add, remove, or release objects from clipping masks
- Hide parts of objects with clipping masks
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Reshape and transform objects
- Pathfinder panel overview
- Create compound shapes with Pathfinder
- Edit areas of overlapping objects with Pathfinder
- Transform objects
- Transform panel overview
- Distort object
- Distort objects with envelopes
- Edit the contents of envelopes
- Envelope panel options
- Scale objects
- Scale multiple objects
- Shear objects
- Intertwine objects
- About perspective drawing
- Draw objects in perspective
- Perspective grid options
- Define and manage perspective grid preset
- Move the perspective grid and adjust its vanishing points
- Adjust grid cell size and grid extent
- Adjust horizon heights and grid planes
- Adjust the perspective grid and the active plane widget
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Create traces, mockups, and symbols
- Convert images to vector graphics
- Image Trace panel options
- Edit image trace results
- Save image trace presets
- Create mockups for images
- Edit mockups
- Save mockups as templates
- Create and place symbols
- Symbols panel options
- Edit symbols
- Create or import symbol libraries
- Maintain proportions while scaling symbols
- Transform symbols
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Measure and align
- Use grids and guides
- Plot and measure
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Paint and fill
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Learn painting basics
- About fills and strokes
- Fill and stroke controls
- Apply fill colors
- Apply stroke colors
- Create multiple fills and strokes
- Convert strokes to compound paths
- Remove fills or strokes
- Select objects with same fill and stroke
- Paint tools overview
- Merge paths using the Blob Brush tool
- Blob brush options and best practices
- About Live Paint
- Live Paint Bucket tool options
- Paint with the Live Paint Bucket tool
- Create Live Paint groups
- Isolate Live Paint groups
- Find and close gaps in Live Paint groups
- Expand and release Live Paint groups
- Resize objects or paths within Live Paint groups
- Select faces, edges, and paths in Live Paint groups
- Add paths to a Live Paint group
- Live Paint limitations
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Apply and edit strokes
- About brushes
- Brushes panel overview
- Draw paths with brush strokes
- Apply brush strokes to paths
- Remove brush strokes
- Add arrowheads to paths
- Customize arrowheads
- Paintbrush tool options
- Create brush libraries
- Import brushes
- Create brushes
- Create dotted or dashed lines
- Modify brushes
- Change the caps or joins of a line
- Convert brush strokes to outlines
- Create and edit gradients
- Create and edit meshes
- Create and edit patterns
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Learn painting basics
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Manage colors
- Learn color basics
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Select and adjust colors
- About selecting colors
- Color Picker overview
- Select colors using the Color Picker
- Color panel options
- Select colors using the Color panel
- Convert color modes
- Make colors printable or web safe
- Change colors to their inverse or complement
- Get precise spot colors using lab values
- Adjust saturation of multiple colors
- Adjust color balance
- Blend colors
- Change color tints
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Use swatches
- About Swatches
- Swatches panel overview
- Add colors to swatches
- Create swatches from the Color Guide panel
- Create process color swatches
- Create spot-color swatches
- Create gradient swatches
- Reorder swatches
- Duplicate swatches
- Replace, merge, or delete swatches
- Group swatches
- Move colors into swatch groups
- Create and open swatch libraries
- Edit swatch libraries
- Move swatches from swatch libraries to the swatches panel
- Share swatches between applications
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Modify colors
- Recolor artwork
- Recolor options overview
- Edit colors using Edit Colors dialog
- Modify colors in swatch groups
- Apply local or global changes to color properties
- Assign new colors to selected artworks
- View original colors in artworks
- Limit colors in artworks
- Color reduction options
- Edit swatch groups using the color wheel
- Add or remove colors from swatch groups
- Edit an individual color in color groups
- Delete swatch groups
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Apply transparency and blending
- Transparency panel overview
- Adjust opacity
- Opacity mask overview
- Adjust transparency using opacity masks
- Clip and invert opacity masks
- Deactivate, reactivate, or remove opacity masks
- Create knockout shapes
- Create transparency knockout groups
- View transparency in the artwork
- Blended objects overview
- Blending mode types
- Change and manage blending modes
- Create blends
- Blend Options overview
- Modify the spine of blended objects
- Reverse the stacking order in blended objects
- Release or expand blended objects
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Design with text
- Add and manage text
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Work with fonts and scripts
- Font browser overview
- Find and apply fonts
- Organize fonts using Creative Cloud Libraries
- Apply the fonts organized in Creative Cloud Libraries
- Find, apply, and adjust variable fonts
- Supported font file types in Adobe Illustrator
- Edit fonts
- Find and replace fonts
- Preview, add, or replace missing fonts
- Edit text without replacing missing fonts
- Identify fonts using Retype
- Apply Retype-suggested fonts to live text
- About Adobe Asian composers
- Justify text using Kashida and hyphenation
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Edit and format text
- Character panel overview
- Transform text
- Underline or strikethrough text
- Change case and capitalization styles
- Adjust kerning and tracking
- Vary font height
- Turn fractional character widths off or on
- Paragraph panel overview
- Align text
- Adjust word and letterspacing in justified text
- Indent text
- Adjust paragraph spacing
- Create bulleted or numbered lists
- Move or flip text
- Adjust text alignment and spacing on paths
- Apply effects to text on paths
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Use special characters and glyphs
- About character sets and alternate glyphs
- Insert special characters
- Glyphs panel overview
- Replace characters with alternate glyphs
- OpenType panel overview
- Use ligatures and contextual alternates
- Use swashes, titling alternates, or stylistic alternates
- Add stylistic sets to selected text
- Insert white space and break characters
- Snap to Glyph options
- Snap with glyph guides
- Snap glyph to angles, anchor points, or text area
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Create and manage artboards
- Add and edit artboards
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Organize and manage artboards
- Use the artboard context menu
- Cut, copy, and paste artboards
- Move artboards
- Rearrange artboards
- Reorder artboards
- Align and distribute artboards
- Lock artboards
- Modify display settings of artboards
- Set artboard views
- Apply colors to artboards
- Set video display options for artboards
- Export selected artboards
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Manage layers
- Create and organize layers
- Lock and hide layers
- Apply and modify layer effects
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Apply special effects and styles
- Apply filter effects
- Create 3D graphics
- Apply graphic styles
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Automate and visualize data
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Automate actions
- Actions panel overview
- Create new actions
- Insert non-recordable tasks into actions
- Insert stops in actions
- Exclude commands from actions
- Specify playback speed
- Add commands to actions
- Re-record actions
- Manage a set of actions
- Play actions on a batch of files
- Batch options
- Install and run scripts
- Merge data
- Set up data source files
- Import data source files
- Variable panel overview
- Work with variables
- Edit dynamic objects
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Visualize data
- Data sets and label options
- Create graphs
- Add graph data
- Add graph labels and data sets
- Adjust decimal digits and column width
- Format columns, bars, and lines
- Select parts of a graph
- Change graph types
- Change graph value axes
- Assign different scales to value axes
- Change the position of legend in graphs
- Combine different graph types
- Add drop shadows to graphs
- Apply marker designs to graphs
- Format pie graphs
- Format graph text
- Reuse graph designs
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Automate actions
- Troubleshoot
Create spot-color swatches
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn how to create spot color swatches in Adobe Illustrator for accurate print color matching.
Select a color from the Color panel.
Tip
You can also select color using the Color Picker or by selecting an artwork with the color you want.
Select Window > Swatches to open the Swatches panel and select the New Swatch icon.
Ctrl +drag (Windows) or command +drag (macOS) the color from the Color panel to the Swatches panel.
Select Spot Color from the Color Type dropdown and adjust the settings as desired.
Select OK
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