Color Replace User guide

A panel that lists every color used in the selected objects and replaces matching colors all at once.
It works like "Selection colors" in Figma.

Installation

Mac

1. Double-click the downloaded installer (.pkg)
2. Click "Continue", then "Install" (no administrator password is needed; it is installed for your user account only)
3. When the installation is complete, start (or restart) Illustrator
4. Open the panel from Window > Extensions > Color Replace for Adobe Illustrator

• To update, run the new installer the same way. The old version is replaced automatically
• To uninstall, delete this folder:

  ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CEP/extensions/jp.artclick.selection-colors

Windows

1. Double-click the downloaded installer (.exe)
2. If you see "Windows protected your PC", click More info > Run anyway (first time only)
3. Click "Next", then "Install" (no administrator rights are needed; it is installed for your user account only)
4. When the installation is complete, start (or restart) Illustrator
5. Open the panel from Window > Extensions > Color Replace for Adobe Illustrator

• To update, run the new installer the same way
• To uninstall, go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall "カラー一括変換 for Illustrator" (the installer currently uses the Japanese product name)

The installer screens are currently in Japanese. Click the button on the right ("Continue" / "次へ") to proceed.

Basic use

1. Select objects in Illustrator (groups, compound paths and text can be selected as they are)
2. Move the mouse over the panel to list the colors used in the selection
   • If the list looks out of date, click the reload button at the top right
3. Click the row of the color you want to change to open the editor
4. Specify the new color and click Apply (or press Enter)
5. Every place in the selection that used the same color changes to the new color

To undo, use Illustrator's Undo (Mac: ⌘Z / Windows: Ctrl+Z).

Specifying colors

• Switch between "CMYK | RGB | Swatches" with the tabs below the color preview. The editor opens with the type you used last (swatches or values)
• When entering values, use the sliders or number fields, then click Apply (or press Enter)
• Spot, global and gradient swatches stay linked to the swatch when applied
• Entering HEX on the CMYK tab converts it to CMYK using the document's color profile

Reading the list

• Swatch and value: RGB colors are shown as HEX, CMYK colors as C0 M100 Y100 K0
• Gradients: each gradient is shown as one row (not split into stops), with a gradient preview
• Spot / Global: spot and global swatch colors are tagged. Replacing them with values turns them into ordinary process colors (choosing a swatch keeps the link)
• Usage: the number of objects using the color, such as Fill 2 · Stroke 1 · Text 1
• Select button (◎): the button at the right end of a row selects only the objects that use that color

What is and isn't included

• The Registration color is excluded so that crop marks and similar items are not broken
• If the selection contains objects that are not included, the number is shown at the bottom of the panel
• If some objects could not be changed (for example, because they are locked), the panel tells you how many

Editing gradients

Click a gradient row to open an editor laid out like the Gradient panel.

• Gradients with the same type (linear or radial) and the same stops (colors, locations, midpoints and opacity) are shown as one row, even if their angles or positions differ
• Each object keeps its own angle, position and transformation after replacing
• The original gradient swatch is not modified. The first time you apply, a copy named like "Color Replace 1" is created and assigned only to the selected objects, so objects outside the selection that use the same gradient do not change
• While you keep adjusting with the editor open, the same copy is updated, so swatches do not pile up (opening another row or changing the selection creates a new copy on the next apply)
• You can clean up unused gradient swatches with "Select All Unused" in the Swatches panel
• Changing the angle or aspect ratio is not supported. Use Illustrator's Gradient panel for that

Notes

• Illustrator does not tell panels when the selection changes, so the list is reloaded when the mouse enters the panel
• Selections with a lot of text may take longer, because each character is checked
• If you specify CMYK values in an RGB document (or the other way around), Illustrator converts them to the document's color mode

License

• You can use every feature free for 7 days after installing. The days left are shown at the top of the panel
• To keep using it, buy a license at https://tools.artclick.jp/en/products/color-convert/ and enter the key you receive in the panel
  • During the trial: click "Enter key" at the top of the panel
  • After the trial: the key entry screen appears when you open the panel
• One key can be activated on up to 2 computers, Mac and Windows combined
• To move to another computer, click the key icon in the header > "Deactivate this computer", then enter your key on the new computer
  • If you no longer have the old computer, deactivate it at https://tools.artclick.jp/en/license/
• After activation, the panel works offline for 30 days. After that, it needs to be opened once while connected to the internet
• If you lose your key, get it again at https://tools.artclick.jp/en/resend/

Updates

• When a new version is released, "A new version is available" appears at the top of the panel
• Click "Download" to get the installer, then run it to update (restart Illustrator afterwards)
• Even if you close the notice, you can download it by clicking the version number (in blue) next to the title
• The notice does not appear while you are offline

Troubleshooting