InDesign Locate Colour
On all the InDesign courses we look at colour in depth especially with regard to accuracy and one of the things often mentioned is how to replace one colour with another. As this pops up a lot we thought it might be a good idea to write an InDesign Locate Colour Tutorial on that very thing.
Wandering back in time to older versions of InDesign colour was more difficult to handle than it is today and to do something like this posed some people with more than a few issues using the old ‘Find Colours’ feature. But that’s changed because these days InDesign handles colour change like a dream.
The ‘Find a Colour’ Option in InDesign
InDesign Locate Colour Tutorial As the word ‘Find’ suggests finding colour is an inbuilt feature which appears in InDesigns ‘Find and Replace’ box.
Firstly you need to find the actual colour to be changed which can be done via the Swatches Panel (Window Menu >Colour >Swatches) and select the colour to be changed.
Right Click on the required colour to change then choose ‘Find this colour’ from the drop down menu.’
This can also be accessed from the burger menu at the top right of the Swatches panel (the icon with three lines).
Edit Menu >Find and Replace OR Press shortcut keys Control + F
Find this Colour
Find and Change Options
Find and Change searches are so useful and even more so with the new colour tab in the Find and Change box as shown in the image on the left.
There are a number of powerful options inside this box.
Text Tab
In the Text tab search for words, characters, formatted text and change in one click.
Even special characters such as white spaces and symbols can be changed.
Quick Tip
To remove unwanted text – select it in the ‘Find What’ box but leave ‘Change To’ box empty making sure no formatting has been set.
GREPs Tab
In this tab InDesign applies pattern search techniques across the range to replace specific text /formats.
Glyph Tab
Search and replace glyphs with uni-code references – this feature is particularly useful when seeking to find and replace glyphs in Asian languages.
Object Tab
You can easily change the format of an attribute or an effect in objects /frames. For example if you have a drop shadow set and need to change it to an inner glow.
Find & Change
Once the colour is selected and the Find /Change box is live all you need to do is find the colour from the ‘Change Colour’ drop down menu as shown in the graphic on the left.
You can define the search in Find /Change by clicking the drop down box next to search and opting to search one or more open documents.
In the Type box you can define where InDesign searches. For argument’s sake you could make the colour change across every single frame in a document or whittle it down to a text /graphic /object frames only.
Find Next
Finally you can opt to choose where InDesign searches by using ‘Find Next’ you will move forward step by step. You can see where you are in the search as the pages will change behind the box.
Change /Change All
This lets you choose which one /s to change.
And finally ‘Press OK’
Adobe InDesign & Find and Change
Adobe have an extensive page covering most if not all aspects of the Find & Replace tool. Its well worth popping along and finding out how Find & Replace can help in other ways. It really is a very versatile feature and can save you hours of time if used correctly.
Adobe InDesign Training
We run a number of different InDesign Training Courses from beginner through to advanced, each one of which can be tailored to your individual criteria. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you feel we could be of help with your Adobe Training.
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