How to Use Recolor Artwork in Illustrator

Recolor Artwork is just about my favorite feature in Adobe Illustrator. Ok, so I love the Pen Tool and the Shape Builder Tool more, but Recolor Artwork is part life-saver, part total fun and I wish more people were using it.

The barrier may be that it has a super-complex interface. Only, it’s not all that complex when you know how to approach it. Once you get how it works, you’ll be enjoying the best thing about Recolor Artwork: it can quickly give your art a color makeover - and you don’t have to scroll through miles of Pinterest posts to know that an eye-catching color palette is key to making your work “sing.”

Here’s a video that will give you quick tour of the interface, while demonstrating a common use for the Recolor Artwork Feature: reducing the number of colors in your art.

Getting Started with Recolor Artwork in Illustrator

I challenged myself to keep this video close to 5 minutes while giving you enough information to get started.

Here’s what the video covers:

  • Introduces the Assign Color Bars vs. Edit Color Wheel

  • Starting over, resetting Recolor Artwork

  • Reducing art form 8 colors to 3 colors

  • How Illustrator chooses color reduction using color theory

  • What those color bars and little arrows do

  • Setting the colorization method


 
 

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Illustrator Guides and Rulers Shortcuts