SeekColor is an essential tool for designers looking to create, save, and export color palettes in Adobe Photoshop. Whether you’re working on a branding project, digital artwork, or web design, managing color palettes efficiently ensures consistency across designs.
In Photoshop, you can save colors as swatches, export them in various formats, and even import palettes from tools like SeekColor, Adobe Color, and Coolors. In this guide, we’ll take you through a step-by-step process to help you save, export, and import color palettes seamlessly.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a structured workflow for handling colors in Photoshop, saving you time and improving your design consistency.
1. How to Create and Save a Color Palette in Photoshop
Before exporting a color palette, you first need to create and save it inside Photoshop. Follow these steps to store your custom palette:
Step 1: Open the Swatches Panel
- In Photoshop, navigate to Window > Swatches to open the color palette section.
Step 2: Add Colors to Swatches
- Select a color using the Eyedropper tool (I) or the Color Picker.
- Click the “New Swatch” button in the Swatches panel.
Step 3: Name Your Swatch
- Assign a meaningful name to your color (e.g., “Brand Blue” or “Sunset Orange”).
- Click OK to save it to your Swatches panel.
Step 4: Organize Your Colors
- If you have multiple colors, group them into Color Libraries to keep everything neat.
Step 5: Save the Palette
- Open the Swatches menu (three-line icon in the top-right corner).
- Select Save Swatches, choose a file name, and save the palette.
By following these steps, your favorite color palettes will always be accessible within Photoshop.
🔗 Related Resource: Adobe’s guide on using swatches.
2. Exporting Color Palettes for Sharing and Backup
Exporting your color palettes is essential if you want to share them with a team or use them in other Adobe applications.
How to Export as ASE (Adobe Swatch Exchange) File
- Open the Swatches Panel and select the colors you want to export.
- Click on the Swatches Menu (three-line icon in the panel’s top-right corner).
- Select Save Swatches for Exchange…
- Choose the Adobe Swatch Exchange (.ASE) format.
- Pick a file location and save it.
How to Export as ACO (Adobe Color) File
For Photoshop-exclusive palettes:
- Go to the Swatches Menu.
- Select Save Swatches…
- Choose Adobe Color Swatch (.ACO) and save.
Why Exporting Is Useful?
- ASE files can be imported into Illustrator, InDesign, and other Adobe apps.
- ACO files are exclusive to Photoshop but preserve exact color values.
🔗 Related Resource: Adobe’s help page on swatch exchange files.
3. How to Import a Color Palette into Photoshop
If you’ve exported a color palette before, you can import it back into Photoshop easily.
Steps to Load an ASE or ACO File:
- Open Photoshop and go to Window > Swatches.
- Click the Swatches Menu and choose Load Swatches.
- Select the ASE or ACO file you previously saved.
- Click Open and the color palette will be added to your Swatches panel.
This feature is great for maintaining brand consistency or collaborating with other designers who need the same color schemes.
🔗 Related Resource: Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries – a cloud-based way to share color palettes across different Adobe software.
4. Using Online Tools to Generate and Import Color Palettes
While Photoshop offers built-in options for saving color palettes, you can expand your creative process using external tools like SeekColor, Coolors, and Adobe Color.
Best Online Tools for Color Palettes
- SeekColor – Find, generate, and download color palettes that can be imported into Photoshop.
- Adobe Color – Create and explore thousands of color schemes.
- Coolors – Generate beautiful color palettes quickly.
- Color Hunt – Browse pre-made color schemes for inspiration.
How to Import Color Palettes from SeekColor or Adobe Color into Photoshop
- Download the ASE or ACO file from SeekColor or Adobe Color.
- Open Photoshop and go to Window > Swatches.
- Click the Swatches menu and select Load Swatches.
- Choose the downloaded file, and your new colors will appear in Photoshop!
By integrating these tools, you can discover trending color schemes, optimize your workflow, and ensure color consistency across all your design projects.