How do I figure out what swatch I used?

Question

I'm working on a complex illustration in Illustrator CS4. I need to make multiple versions of it, each with a slightly different color scheme. I'm using a set of swatches imported as an .ase file. Is there some way to discover what swatch was used on a particular path? I rather expected that when I clicked on it the swatched that was used to fill it would be indicated in the swatch panel, but that isn't happening.

Answer 1

I need to make multiple versions of it, each with a slightly different color scheme. Is there some way to discover what swatch was used on a particular path?
That only happens with swatches in the main Document swatch panel.
And that only happens if the objects were colored by selecting Swatches. The objects may have been colored willy-nilly, by using the Color mixer palette or even the system color picker.
For this kind of project, in Illustrator, you need to make sure you start with objects which are only colored with defined Swatches, and make sure all the Swatches used are set to Global. Otherwise, you're fighting against the problematic way that Illustrator handles colors.
1. Select All. Copy.
2. New document. Run the Action named Delete Unused Panel Items three times.
3. Paste. Leave everything selected.
4. Swatches palette flyout menu: Add Used Colors.
That should create Global Swatches of each different color used in the artwork. You can re-define a Global Swatch by doubleClicking it. That opens a dialog in which you can edit the color. After doing so, all objects in the document to which that Global Swatch is applied updates accordingly.
This all hinges on whether CS4 has the Add Used Colors command. I don't recall exactly when it was (decades late) added.
Alternatively, you could also simply use the Edit>Edit Colors>Recolor Artwork or Recolor With Preset>Color Libraries commands, but I don't recall when those were implemented, either. And frankly, for most projects like you describe, I prefer the more deliberate method outlined above.
JET