Maintaining consistency in colors across print and web is vital for any brand, and it can be a tricky process. Designers need to know how to do this so your client's graphics looks consistently awesome across all mediums! 

There are already a lot of differences between RGB and CMYK color modes and the variations that different printers produce, while printing CMYK, make it even more difficult. Some people also don't like the "dull" look of CMYK colors. That is why we have the more consistent and vibrant Pantone Matching System that has predefined and coded colors. But if you have a file in CMYK color, are you gonna go through all of the 1400+ color swatches in the Pantone Library to find the perfect match? Probably not and you don't need too because there is an easier way to match colors! This tutorial will explain the four steps required and provide you with examples to download and test.

Step 1 - Open up your Illustrator file

The first step is to open up your file in Illustrator. Its good to have your artwor in CMYK mode. If you have an RGB file, go to File > Document Color Mode and check CMYK Color. Here is what mine looked like:

Step 2 - Select all the artwork in your file

Pretty straightforward, just choose the Selection Tool and select everything in your file. You can also hit ctrl or cmd + A as the shorcut for Select All.

Step 3 - Go to the Edit menu and and select "Edit Colors"

Go Edit > Edit Colors > Recolor Artwork.

Step 4 - Select a color library

In the Recolor Artwork panel, click on the Libraries icon and a menu will pop up on your screen. In the Library menu select Color Books and then select one of the PANTONE libraries. My logo worked best with PANTONE+ Color Bridge Coated. Make sure Recolor Artwork is checked and then click OK.

Voila! You have just recolored your artwork and the new swatches have been added to your Swatches panel.

Now you can make a color guide like this:

Go Save As and save the recolored file as a copy.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading the tutorial and I hope you enjoyed it and learned something new. This tutorial can come in handy in any project especially logo projects and in some situations when the client wants the PANTONE color codes.

Downloads

Check out these tutorials:

Thanks Sarao Arts! Was this helpful? Got more tips? Let us know in the comments!

Written by Jo Sabin on Friday, June 28, 2013

Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.