I Assign a Color but it Doesn't Change

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Fairly often in Illustrator 10 I spec an object a color (maybe from the swatches pallett) but the object doesn't turn to the new color. It still appears to be the old color, yet in the color pallett it says its the new color.

I thought this was a fluke on my home machine but today a designer at work complained of the same problem.

[hitpawz@adobeforums.com]

Check the appearance pallete. Illustrator allows you to stack several different fill colors and effects and stuff to give greater flexibility but is often confusing to people. There should be a stacking order and look for something called "contents" or similar. Remove the attributes in that pallete and you should be able to assign color again.

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Thanks.
Unfortunately the Apppearance Pallette is also showing it as the new color. Its just the object that's not assuming it.

We're finding that it only happens if we use the eyedropper tool first.

[Jason_Howard@adobeforums.com]

I have recently had this same problem with my home computer (Ill 10, OS X ). At first I thought I had accidentally created another fill in the appearence pallete, but that wasn't the case. It also only happens for me when I sample a color with the eyedropper. But it doesnt happen all the time... I havn't messed around with it enough to find a pattern, I just figured I was doing something wrong.
-Jason

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

What are you trying to color? Type? A simple object? A group? Fill? Stroke?

How are you using the Eyedropper? What's selected and what isn't? Where are you clicking? Are you holding any modifier keys when you click (like the Shift key)?

Have you updated to 10.0.3?

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Hey Jason, glad to hear its not just me going crazy.

Doug - it'll happen with all types of objects, but today we were just working with a simple rectangle.

Just the object is selected / I select the eyedropper / I click on another object that is the color I want / I'm not holding any other keys.
No, we haven't updated to 10.0.3.

Have you, Jason?

[hitpawz@adobeforums.com]

All I know is that when you outline type, it puts an item in the appearance stack called "contents" that when double-clicked shows the original fill color of the type object. Trying to assign a different fill color shows nothing because it is under the original (usually black) fill color that was transfered from when it was a type object.

I'm pretty sure your answer is in the appearance pallete as I've fought the very same thing for a long time until I stumbled upon the fix. Just remember that you can trash things in the appearance and can also go to the pallete options and click "clear all attributes" (or similar)

Just FYI. Holding shift while eyedropping will replace whatever you have selected (fill or stroke) with the color underneath where you click. What that means is if you want the fill color of your selected object to be the same as the stroke of another object but don't want to take on all of the attributes of that object such as stroke thickness and effects and stuff, you hold shift and click that object's stroke line. If you click in the fill area, you'll get that color instead. You can also sample colors from placed images. It's also used to sample colors into your gradients. Basically shift constrains your color selection to only the fill or stroke, which ever you have selected. Weird explaination, I know.

[Gary_Newman@adobeforums.com]

The eyedropper, by default, allows you to apply picked-up color to groups, layers and compound paths separately from objects. So an object can have one fill that is applied to it as an object, and another if it is part of a compound path (which outlined type is). In the Appearance palette, drag the Fill above the Contents.

Also, try double-clicking the Eyedropper. There's a whole set of preferences there you can apply to control what it picks up.

And, yes, should definitely download and install the 10.03 patch.

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

For starters, do as Gary recommends: upgrade to 10.0.3

Even before that, tell us what happens if you SHIFT-click on the color you want.

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for all the good info.

I tend to think this is a bug. I am only working with a simple rectangle.
No compound paths or text.

I have a feeling 10.0.3 might fix it.

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Doug,

OK, we just tried Shift Clicking with the eyedropper – and it worked . . . the first few times. Then it reverted to its old ways.

The Color Pallette, the Appearance Pallette, the Tool Bar all say its the new color - but the object itself still appears with the old color.

[Doug_Katz@adobeforums.com]

Try 10.0.3. Also try trashing your AI preferences. And all AdobeFnt files. And Repairing Permissions (if you're on OSX).

[Dan_Neumann@adobeforums.com]

Cool. I'll keep ya posted. Thanks!

[Dee Holmes]

I also had this happen to me on a document a customer sent me and wanted a color change. All I did was hit return after I changed the color and it applied the new color.

Hope this helps. Maybe not the same problem though.

[Jason_Bush@adobeforums.com]

in the meantime if the appearence pallet gets u nowhere-
a work-around i use is to click drag with the white selection arrow part of the object - be it text fill etc.. then use the eyedropper with shift or not, depending on what you need to happen.. If it's flow text (non outlined), highlight the text then use the eyedropper.

I myself was not aware of the appearence workaround which i will now explore

hope that helps

[Paul_Wallace@adobeforums.com]

Dan,
FYI.... I get the same problem ....I don’t use the eyedropper tool anymore.
paul

[hitpawz@adobeforums.com]

Has anyone tried the appearance pallete options and hit "Clear Appearance" and it didn't fix the problem? I'm curious because it always works for me. But I'm using 10 and not CS.