Working with Color and Swatches
Working with Color and Swatches
Color questions test your grasp of color models, swatch types, and output implications. Know the difference between process and spot colors: process colors build from CMYK inks, while spot colors use a premixed ink and require a separate plate. A frequent trap is assuming a spot swatch automatically becomes process on export - you must convert it or manage it in output settings.
Understand the Swatches panel: named swatches, tints (a percentage of a base color), and mixed inks. Know that editing a swatch updates every object using it, which is a common exam scenario. Distinguish fill and stroke, and know how to apply None versus Paper - Paper is a color that matches the page, not transparency.
Candidates should understand color modes (RGB, CMYK, LAB), and that documents are typically built in CMYK for print and RGB for screen. Know the difference between the Color panel (mixes colors) and the Swatches panel (stores them). Understand overprint, trapping concepts, and how the Separations Preview helps check ink usage.
Also know gradients and gradient swatches, and that transparency can interact with spot colors during flattening.
Rule of thumb: for any color used repeatedly, create a named swatch rather than mixing it ad hoc - this makes global edits and consistent output possible.
Worked example
A brand blue must print as a single premixed ink. Create it as a spot swatch, apply it consistently, and confirm it appears as its own plate in Separations Preview.