Revolutionise the way you work in AVA by programming steps you do every day into a simple click of a button. Not only do Palettes save you time, but they allow you to combine certain functions and actions into automated tasks, speeding up your workflow. 

Create documents with a pre-defined repeat drop, number of layers and specific substrate. Change the position of your floating windows. Flick between overprint Settings . Adjust tool settings. Launch working environments, all with a click of one button.

Once you start creating Palettes you will unveil new ways of automating little workflows you have repeated on a daily basis for years, thus increasing productivity. Settings from any window within the AVA application which contains a ‘handler’ can be added to an action button within a Palette. The whole process really could not be more simple and with handlers appearing all over the software, it’s hard to stop thinking about what you could include, and it’s simply impossible to document every scenario.  So we’ll focus on three key areas where Palettes will revolutionise your experience.

Examples of tasks which can be automated are;

• Create documents with a pre-defined size, repeat drop, number of layers and specific substrate
• Tidy up your workspace by resetting the position of your floating windows
• Switch between overprint Settings
• Switch tool settings (perfect for the Carbon Copy Tool!)
• Swap colour profiles
• Share colour profiles with your colleagues
• Launch working environments

All of this can be done with a single click, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Visit our Downloads page to discover much more. We have even provided Palettes which will kick start the most complex of colour separations for you.

An introduction to Palettes

A simple, yet very effective Palette you could make is one which automatically makes a new document at your chosen repeat size, with a specified design drop and with a set number of layers, at your desired viewing scale.

Before you do this, you will need to customise the toolbar of your Design Window to add the following Document handler.

Double click on the handler in the toolbar to select which of the settings you want to be recorded at the time of creating the action button. Simply untick those you do not want to record.

1. Create a new document at your desired repeat size.
2. If you work with design drops, go to the View Menu and select Set Repeat. In the window which opens, enter your desired drop.
3. Add your typical number of layers to the design using the Layer Palette. So, if the majority of your designs have 6 tonal layers, add 6 8 bit layers.
4. From the File Menu, select New > Palette… An untitled Palette will open.
   
   
5. Drag the document handler from the Design Windows’ toolbar to the Palette. Your Palette will now look like this:
   
   Alternatively, double click on the handler and drag items directly from the window to your Palette. This is useful if you want to have different action buttons for different repeat drops, or viewing scales, for example.
   
   
6. Save your Palette with an appropriate name. As a suggestion, you could make a folder in User > Library > Application Support > AVA and save them here. If you would like your Palettes to re-open after quitting and launching AVA, make sure ‘Close windows when quitting an app’ is not ticked in System Settings > General.
   
   

Adding functions to existing Palettes

You can build on existing action buttons by dragging handlers from other windows onto them. For example, we may wish to add settings to the new document we’ve created in the steps above.

For example, to set the substrate, drag the handler from beside the substrate in the Layer Palette onto the existing New Document action button in your Palette.

Tidy up you floating windows at the click of a button

We all like a tidy desktop, and with Palettes you can set your window positions. Either add this to an existing action button such as the NewDocument button we added above, or make an entirely new action button so that it acts independently from other actions. Essentially, you may prefer your windows in different positions depending on the work you are doing.

To set your window position at the click of a button, go to AVA > Settings > Monitor.

Drag the handler from beside ‘Window positions’ into an existing action button, or simply drop it into your Palette to create an independent one.

Use Palettes to quickly set up your Overprint Settings

1. From the AVA Menu, open the Settings , and navigate to Overprint.
   
   
   
   
2. Ensure all your overprint settings are correct, then drag the handler from the top right of the window into your Palette.
   
   

Remember, these settings can be added to existing action buttons, or added to the Palette as an independent button. If you regularly change your overprint settings, why not use independent buttons, making switching between them as easy as clicking a button!

Renaming and adding custom thumbnails to your Palettes

1. Double click on the name of the action button to reveal its settings.
2. Type in a new name and press ⮐ (return) on your keyboard to confirm the new name.

Adding custom icons to your Palettes

When you drag a handler to a Palette, a default icon is added for you, however, you can further customise your Palettes by adding your own icons – ones that are personal to you.

1. Firstly, take a snapshot* of what you would like to use as your custom icon.
2. Double click on an action button. This will reveal its settings.
3. Click on its existing icon, the one pre-defined by AVA. This will highlight in blue.
   
   
4. Use the shortcut command + v to paste the snapshot you took in step 1 into here.
5. Press ⮐ (enter) on your keyboard.
   
   

How to change the settings of the Palette

You can change the settings of the Palette by holding down ^ (control key) on the keyboard and clicking on the cog menu in the bottom right hand side of the Palette and selecting ‘Settings’.

A small window opens, giving you the option to increase the size of the icons using the slider bar, show or hide the name (untick this option if you do not want the name to show) or receive updates to your Palette from one of the same name from AVA Productivity Manager.

Deleting actions from a Palette

1. Double click on the action button in the Palette.
2. This will reveal the items which are set within that button:
3. Click on the item you want to remove.  This will highlight it. Use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⌫ to delete it.

Available now in AVA 5.9 - Palettes redesigned

The Palette window has been completely re-designed for AVA 5.9 and now includes a new look, as well as more intuitive and user-friendly tools.

Making a new Palette

• Choose File > New > Palette to create a new Palette document, you will be presented with the window below.
  
• Find items you want to automate using the search field.
• Add items by dragging from the left sidebar into the central group list.

Editing a Palette action

1. Select an action by clicking its icon in the group list.
2. Once selected the Palette items will appear in the Editor. If the editor is closed you may open it by ^ (control key) clicking and choosing show editor.
   
3. Click the cog icon to open the items editor.
   
4. To add more items drag from the palette list
   
5. To delete an item from the editor list either ^ (control key) click the item and choose delete or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⌫ to delete it.
   

Running a Palette action

• Run a Palette  by clicking the play button next to the action
  

Duplicating

• To duplicate a Palette action select it by ^ (control key) click its icon and choose Duplicate.
  

Deleting a Palette action

• To delete a Palette action either ^ (control key) click the item and choose delete or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⌫ to delete it
  

Renaming

• To rename a Palette  ^ (control key) click its icon and choose rename or double click on the label below its icon and begin typing.
  
• A palette may also be renamed within the editor once its selected.

Changing Icon Image

1. ^ (control key) click on the Palettes icon and choose Change Icon.
   
2. You can then select an image of your choice 

Changing Icon Size

• You can also change the size of the icon itself by ^ (control key) clicking on the icon and choosing Show Icon Size Slider. 
  
• This will allow you to scale the icon up or down. 
  

 Setting Handlers

Setting handlers can still be found in the AVA software and used to create Palettes as in previous versions. Simply click and drag the handler onto a palette.