Taking Advantage of Adobe Kuler

Adobe Kuler is a nifty internet application that lets folks try out, create and share custom color swatches with one another. It’s free, but you’ll need to sign up for an account before you can share or download custom swatches from other designers. I’ve known about Kuler since it was first announced, but what I didn’t know before was how well integrated Kuler is within most major Adobe applications. (Built-in Kuler panel support is only available in CS4 and CS5 versions.)

You can actually have a Kuler panel inside your Adobe application, where you can create, browse, search and import custom swatches in a very convenient manner, without ever having to visit the Kuler website. In Photoshop, simply go to Window > Extensions > Kuler, and the Kuler panel (as shown above) will pop up.

Having the Kuler panel has finally eliminated the need for me to maintain an overpopulated Color Swatch palette. I can simply dial the specific color I want from within Kuler without so much unnecessary scrolling. To make your newly created Kuler swatch active, just double-click it from within the Kuler panel and it will show up as the foreground color in Photoshop.

For more information on using the Kuler panel, check out this informative video on Adobe TV.

-Krishna

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