Save_As, and Color picker suggestions

Question

Hello again-
In using custom themes, I see two features that really do
need to be added, at some point:
1. 'Save As' capability. I know this has been mentioned
before, but this is definitely necessary to develop new themes from
prior ones. Right now, to use a prior theme nondestructively, I
must enter the RGB values for each of the source theme colors in my
new 'unnamed' theme. Ai, caramba! The completely natural workflow,
as with most applications of all sorts, is the ever popular 'Save
As', and one can simply and safely develop a new theme. Please
consider making this a priority- it is sorely needed.
2. I have had many occasions to modify a color which I like,
but which I wish to 'gray down'- not changing value, but rather
trying to add some of its complement. This is essentially moving
toward the 'center', ie, moving 'inward' (away from the edge of
'pure color', toward the center of 'grayed color').
OK: Now, perhaps I am missing something, but I don't see a
way to 'keep on the line' when moving toward the center- I can't do
it by 'touch', and I know that I am moving both inward and 'off the
line' to wind up with a color that is different as well as
'grayed'.
So I'd suggest: How about adding something like the Ai 'Live
Paint' palette: In Ai, if you hold down the Shift key while moving
the color indicator, you are restricted to moving ONLY in-out,
along the 'line' of the color. An excellent key addition, allowing
me to confidently 'gray' or 'ungray' a color.
Thanks. --Bill

Answer 1

Sami-
Thanks for the response. My art-graphics background (apart
from any tech/applications) is originally watercolor painting- been
doing that for 20 years, primarily en plein air (smart aleck art
community way of saying 'I paint outdoors'). So I am very much a
colorist- my palette in WC and oils has no earth colors, for
example (burnt seinna, raw sienna, umber, blacks of any kind)-
everything is mixed 'by eye' from primaries (and from a 'base'
blue-green, Thalo green).
So- Kuler is great fun for me. I use it in two ways:
1. As an idea generator: I will occasionally troll the Themes
based on a keyword (coral), and will refine based on the metawords
I see in interesting Themes (ex: I might be led to 'tropical'). I
will save anything of interest as a Favorite, which I will later
prune down to the few I'd like to keep.
I often will refine a Theme- the most frequent thing I find
is that most Themes are so STRONG (!)- that is, the colors tend to
be at full saturation, un'grayed' with their complement, and at
full brightness. I have made several very successful palettes from
existing Themes by 'graying down' selected colors from the Theme,
and often muting their brightness a bit.
2. I also use Kuler in a back-and-forth way with Ai's Color
Guide. I think the Color Guide is a tremendous resource- I
regularly use it for Shades of a color, and for the array of
choices in Triads, etc. I may download a Kuler Theme (my own or a
found one), and work the colors in the Color Guide. Once I have my
particular color(s), I may go back to Kuler and fiddle some more.
When I work with a project (whether in Ai, Ps, or on
paper/canvas), I try to stay within 5-6 principal colors. But I
also want variants that are within similar color families. So on an
Ai project, I may have 1 to 5 or 6 Kuler Themes available- but they
are all 'within the family' of one another, and in the end I only
wind up using a subset from across the Themes.
Whew! (I think I will relax now by watching a black-and-white
'noir' movie...)
--Bill