Palettes

Palettes are the core organizational unit in ColorClip Pro. Each palette can hold up to 256 color swatches, organized in a customizable grid.

Creating Palettes

To create a new palette:

  1. Click the + New Palette button
  2. Or press Cmd+N (Mac) / Ctrl+N (Windows)
  3. Give your palette a descriptive name
  4. Start adding swatches!

Palette Grid

The palette grid displays all your swatches in a visual layout. Empty slots are shown as outlined squares, while filled swatches display their color. 

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ Brand Colors (12 swatches)       │
├──────────────────────────────────┤
│ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □ □ □             │
│ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □             │
│                                  │
│ ■ = Filled swatch                │
│ □ = Empty slot                   │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

Managing Swatches

Adding Swatches

  • Click empty slot - Opens color picker
  • Eyedropper - Adds to first empty slot
  • Paste HEX - Paste color code into slot

Editing Swatches

  • Click swatch - Copy color value
  • Double-click - Edit color
  • Right-click - Show context menu

Swatch Labels

Each swatch can have a custom label to help you remember its purpose:

  1. Right-click on a swatch
  2. Select Edit Label
  3. Enter a name like "Primary Button" or "Text Color"
  4. Labels appear when you hover over the swatch

Color History

ColorClip Pro tracks the history of each swatch, recording every change:

  1. Right-click on a swatch
  2. Select View History
  3. See all previous colors and when they changed
  4. Click any historical color to restore it

Organizing Swatches

Drag and Drop

Rearrange swatches by dragging them to different positions in the grid. Your layout is automatically saved.

Grid Positions

The grid maintains positional integrity - empty slots are preserved so your visual layout stays consistent. This is important for:

  • Grouping related colors together
  • Creating visual hierarchies
  • Maintaining consistent spacing

Palette Settings

Rename Palette

  1. Click the palette name at the top
  2. Type a new name
  3. Press Enter to save

Delete Palette

  1. Open the palette menu (⋮)
  2. Select Delete Palette
  3. Confirm deletion
Warning: Deleting a palette is permanent and cannot be undone, even with cloud sync enabled.

Multiple Palettes

You can create unlimited palettes to organize colors by project, client, or purpose:

  • Project-based - One palette per project
  • Category-based - Brand colors, UI colors, Print colors
  • Client-based - One palette per client
  • Purpose-based - Favorites, Inspiration, In Progress

Switching Palettes

Use the palette dropdown at the top of the window to switch between your palettes. The currently active palette is used when you capture colors with the eyedropper.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

  • Use descriptive names: "Acme Corp Brand" instead of "Palette 1"
  • Include version numbers for iterations: "Website v2"
  • Add dates for time-based projects: "Holiday Campaign 2025"

Organization Tips

  • Group similar colors together (all blues, all reds, etc.)
  • Put your most-used colors in the top-left corner for easy access
  • Use labels for colors that aren't obviously named
  • Keep palettes focused - create separate palettes instead of one huge palette

See Also