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Define and manage color assets
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Mix and define custom colors
Last updated on
Jun 2, 2026
Learn how to create custom colors in Adobe InDesign using the Color panel or Color Picker by adjusting sliders or entering numeric values.
Use custom colors when default swatches don’t meet your needs. Use the Color panel to adjust CMYK, RGB, HSB, or Lab values for precise control. This is useful for quick edits or experimenting with color, but save frequently used colors as swatches to maintain consistency.
Select the Fill icon or the Stroke icon to choose what to color.
Select the panel menu icon, then select a color model, such as CMYK, RGB, HSB, or Lab.
Adjust the color by moving the sliders, entering values in the text boxes, or selecting a color from the color bar in the panel.
Press Shift, select the color bar to switch between color models.
To reuse the color, open the panel menu and choose Add to Swatches. After you mix a color, it applies to the selected object immediately. The color also appears in the Fill icon or Stroke icon for reuse.
Note
If you select an object that uses a named swatch, changing its color in the Color panel affects only that object. To update the color across the document, double-click the swatch in the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches).
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