Let’s Explore v4 – Custom Color Palette in Silhouette Studio

Did you know you can add your own custom color palette into the Silhouette Studio software?

This is a feature that was first introduced in version 4.3.263 in September 2019, but I don’t think a lot of users know about it still.

This tutorial is written in v4.5.196.

Today I wanted to share some examples of how you can use this in your projects.

There are a few limits to mention before we get started.

The first I want to mention is that custom color palette’s are computer specific. They are not saved with you “cloud” data, so will not show if you use the software on multiple computers. But, you could easily add them into another computer by saving the original file to your Silhouette library and open on the new computer. Then follow the same steps below to add that custom palette to the other computer.

As you can see in the photo above, the panel space is limited so you will only see a few custom palettes displayed if you create lots.
This can also depend on your screen size. Smaller screens sizes can’t fit as many icons as a larger screen size could. You’ll also see this in the panels displayed along the right side and in the QAT at the top too.
There is a scroll bar on the right side of the panel so you can scroll down and see more of the options you have created.

Also keep in mind that the colors that show on your computer screen may be different than what your printer actually prints. The only way to know what color will print is to test it.

And the media that you are printing on can make a difference in the final color outcome as well. Different brands of media, different types of paper, glossy, photo, matte, etc. can all vary in the final color outputs.

Check out this recent video on the Silhouette Secrets YouTube channel where I shared my results from different brands of sticker paper. I used the same exact print settings for each one and they all had differences.
Silhouette Studio Print Quality Tips and Testing Video HERE

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How to Create a Custom Color Palette

Let’s take a look at the basics to create a custom color palette.
Here is a video from Silhouette America on how to create a custom palette

Now that we know how it works, let’s take a look at how we can use it in projects.

Now you may be the type of crafter who can pick and choose color combinations easily, but I need help. I found this really neat website called Paper Heart Design Co. and I reached out to the artist, Anne Stout, to ask if I could share in a tutorial.

Anne is a graphic designer and has these amazing color palette’s on her website that caught my eye one evening as I was scrolling through Pinterest and I fell in love.
Not only does she provide a visual of the photo used for the colors, but she also provides the Hex code as well.

When you view the color palette’s on the Paper Heart Design Co. website, the HEX code is listed below the color palette.

This gives you a couple options for working in the Silhouette Studio software.
We can use the eyedropper tool to grab the colors or at the bottom of the Fill Color Panel, you can enter the Hex code for each color.

I saved the specific color palette from Paper Heart Design Co. and then opened it into the Silhouette software. This will be the reference I use to create a custom color palette and change the colors in my design. By creating the custom color palette, I can come back and use that palette over and over again without the setup work.

The eyedropper can be found in the top of the Fill Color Panel, while the HEX code can be found at the bottom of the Fill Color Panel.

I created a Summer Color Palette and then used it to change the colors in my design.

I actually really like the navy color the original design had in it, so I worked with it as well, but you could also mix and match additional color palette to add more colors in.

Now, if I want to come back and use this same colors on a different design, it’s all in my Fill Color Panel and ready to go.

You could use this for so many things from printing on actual projects or creating mock-ups to see how a design or color combination can work together.

Here are a couple more that I created using palettes from Paper Heart Design Co.

Use all the colors or just a few from the palette created.

Head on over to the Paper Heart Design Co. website to view the color palettes and find your favorites or check out the ones I’ve pinned on my Color Ideas Pinterest board HERE to help get you started.

Here is another example of using a custom color palette on a more complex project.
This was a class taught by my colleague Barbara Foster of Let’s Go Silhouetting at the All Things Silhouette Conference in 2022.

We created a custom color palette with the colors of Oracal 8300 we were using for the faux stained glass design and then it also helped to be able to Select by Color and group all the pieces of the design when we went to cut.

As I mentioned above, this tool can have many uses.
Here are a few ideas:
– Print and Cut projects: cards, home décor, scrapbook layouts
– custom branding for theme projects
– visual only on screen
– creating mock ups
– testing out material colors
– selecting colors to cut easier on complex designs

Hopefully this information has sparked a creative thought process on how you might use this tool in your projects.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy !

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