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Creative Cloud Libraries

Overview

The Adobe Creative Cloud Libraries facility provides named collections (libraries) of assets (i.e., graphics objects, text blocks, colors, character styles, and paragraph styles) that you can create, organize, and share with other users of Adobe Creative Cloud CC applications (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.). Within each application, the user can access the CC Library by executing the Window > Libraries command.

When first opened, the Libraries panel presents controls that focus on managing libraries. The initial complement of controls allows you to:

  • Create a new library,
  • Import a library from a library file (xxx.cclibs file) that is stored on your device.
  • Rename a library,
  • Delete a library,
  • Share a library with other users of CC applications that support CC Libraries.
  • Select a library to be the current library.
Illustration of the Window > Libraries panel for adding and modifying entire Creative Cloud libraries.
Libraries panel for adding and modifying entire Creative Cloud libraries.

When you have selected a library as the current library, the Libraries panel switches its focus to that library and changes its controls to ones that allow you to manipulate the library's contents.

You can then interact with the current library from the document Artboard or from various panels, depending on the type of asset. For example, in Illustrator, not only can you add a fill color to the current library from the Artboard, but you can also use CC Library controls that Adobe has made part of the Swatches panel.

However, the most basic and frequently used way of working with a Library is to exchange assets directly between the Library and the Artboard:

  1. Illustration of Libraries panel controls for adding and modifying the current library.
    Libraries panel controls for adding and modifying the current Creative Cloud Library.
    To add an asset to a Library from the Artboard, you first select an object that is an example of the asset (e.g., a shape) that you want to add to the library. Then you click the Add Asset button and tell the Library what aspect of the asset (e.g., the fill color) you want it to extract and add to the library.
  2. To use an asset from the Library on the Artboard, you use different techniques, depending on the type of asset:
    1. For Graphic or Text objects, you place them on the Artboard with a special cursor (called a Place Gun tool) in much the same way that you would place a raster image on an Artboard.
    2. For Colors, Character Styles, and Paragraph Styles, you apply them to an existing Artboard object by a simple two-step process:
      1. Select the object (e.g., a shape), and if necessary, target the attribute (e.g., a stroke of a shape), and then:
      2. Simply click on the library asset to apply it to the Artboard object.

This page will first focus on the mechanics of the above (two-step) direct method of working with libraries and then will describe interaction between a Library and other Illustrator panels (e.g., the Swatches panel).

There are two methods of using a library's Graphic or Text block assets in a document, as Linked Assets (the default) or as Unlinked (embedded) Assets. A Linked Asset is a Graphic or Text object from the Library that has been placed on the artboard, and that remains subordinate to the library asset.  If you edit the library asset, Ai will automatically update all of its subordinate, linked objects.

Illustration of Selected objects before and after changing the stroke color of the Library asset.
Selected objects before and after changing the stroke color of the Library asset.

When you use a Graphic or Text asset from the library you simply drag it from the current Library panel to the artboard.  Ai will activate the Place Gun tool (the same tool that you use to place an image in an Illustrator document). As you drag the Gun over the Artboard, Ai will place the object on the Artboard. By default, this object will be linked and when selected, it will be marked with an "X."

However, if you want to place a graphic on the Artboard as unlinked, you Alt + drag and place it on the Artboard with the Gun. The procedure is the same, except that the object will not be linked to the library asset and when selected, will not be marked with an "X."

The Basic Method for Adding and Using Library Assets

As mentioned in the Overview, you can add assets to, and use assets from a library in several ways and from several sources. For example, you can exchange Library Color assets via the Artboard, or via the Swatches panel. Fortunately, however, exchanging assets via the Artboard, which will be the focus of this section, is intuitive, and effective.

Adding Assets from the Artboard to the Current Library

To add an asset to the library from the artboard in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Open the Libraries panel (Window > Libraries).
  2. Select a Library. Ai will open the library and display its assets.
  3. Select an object on the artboard.
  4. Click the plus (+) button at the bottom of the Library panel. Ai will display a dropdown menu of commands that allow you to tell Ai which attribute or attributes of the selected Artboard object you want Ai to extract and make into an asset in the library.
    1. If on the Artboard, you selected a non-text object, Ai will display a dropdown list that lets you extract just the Fill color, just the Stroke color, the Graphic (i.e. the path with its attributes), or to Add all (i.e., extract all the attributes present in the selected object and create an asset in the current library for each of them).
    2. If on the Artboard, you selected some text, Ai will display a drop down list that lets you tell Ai to extract: just the, Text fill color, the Text (i.e. the actual block of text), just the Character style, just the Paragraph style, a Graphic (i.e. store the text as a graphic), or to Add all (i.e. extract all of the above).
      As soon as you click the command button. Ai will give the asset a default name and add it to the Library.
  5. Rename the Asset: Double click the new asset's default name and replace it with a meaningful name..
Screen shot of editable text with a Scribble Effect stored in the Library as a Graphic
Editable text with a Scribble Effect stored in the Library as a Graphic.

Choosing the Graphic option with text, requires some explanation. You would want to do that if: (A) the text has multiple fills, multiple strokes, or an Effect, and (B) you want to preserve the Effect in the library asset.  For example, suppose that you have applied a Scribble Effect to a block of text, and then you select the block and press the plus (+) button. Ai will present you with all the above text-related choices.  If you click the Text command, Ai will only extract and place the actual text in the library, without the Scribble. The only way you can store the text with the Scribble, in the library is to tell Ai to extract the text as a Graphic. Ai is smart enough to keep the text editable, both in the Library and even if you use the Scribble Graphic in a document as an unlinked asset,

Organizing a Library with Names, Groups, and Descriptions

By default, Ai organizes Library assets only by Type (Graphic, Text, Color, Character Style, or Paragraph Style) and by the name of the asset. Similarly, by default, you can use the Search field to find assets only by type and name. However, you can add structure and enhance searchability by adding Groups and Descriptions.

Adding Groups (e.g., Standard Colors, or Accent Color) gives you a way to cross-classify assets, and Ai allows you to:

  • Display Assets by Group rather than by type, and to
  • Search for Assets by Group name, as well as by Type, and Asset name.

Descriptions not only provide documentation, but greatly enhance searchability.

Add a Group to a Library

To add a group to a library in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Window > Libraries panel, click the "Create new group" button (the folder icon) at the bottom of the Library panel. Ai will: (A) Switch to the Groups tab, (B) display the Groups view of the Library, and (C) create a new Group with the default name "New Group.".
  2. Rename the new Group.
    Illustration of Switching between Type View and Group View in a Creative Cloud Library.
    Switching between Type View and Group View
  3. Add Assets to (i.e. associate Assets with) a Group. To add an Asset, do one of the following:
    1. Drag an Asset from the list of "Not grouped" assets listed at the bottom of the Groups view and drop it into the new Group, or
    2. Switch to the Type view, right-click an asset, and on the dropdown menu, select the "Add to group" command. Ai will display a list of the groups in the current Library. Select the name of a Group.
In either case 3a or 3b, Ai will "add the Asset to the group," i.e., hence forth, Ai will both display the Asset with its Group as well as with its Type, and when you search by the new Group's name, Ai will find the Assets that you have "added to the Group."

Add a Description to an Asset

Illustration of how Asset Descriptions Work in a Creative Cloud Library.
How Asset Descriptions Work in a Creative Cloud Library.

You can add a description of up to 130 characters to any library asset. These descriptions are useful, for example, when working from a style guide to document when the asset is required or prohibited.

To add a description to a library asset in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Window > Libraries panel, navigate to the Library and the asset to which you want to add a description.
  2. Right-click on the asset.  Ai will display a popup menu of options.  
  3. On the menu, select the "Add description" command. Ai will pop up a mini form in which you can type a description.
  4. On the form, type your description and click the OK. button.  Under the asset's name Ai will display an icon (paper-with-a-folded-corner) and text saying, "Description attached." Clicking on the asset will now display the description.

Rename an Asset

You may want to rename assets In the Window > Libraries panel to establish consistent, memorable names or to make better use of the search facility.

To change the default name or to rename an asset in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Double-click the asset name (or right-click the asset and in the fly-out menu, choose the "rename" option). Ai will highlight the current name.
  2. Type over the current name and press Enter.

Delete a Library Asset

To delete a Window > Libraries panel asset in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Window > Libraries panel, single-click the row that represents the Asset to select it. Ai will highlight the row.
  2. Click the Trash Can icon (alternatively, right-click the asset and in the fly-out menu, choose the "delete" option). Ai will remove the asset.

Using Library Assets via the Artboard

Graphic and Text assets are objects that you use by selecting them in the Library and placing them on the Artboard. In contrast, Color, Character Style, and Paragraph Style assets are attributes or collections of attributes that you use by selecting an asset on the Artboard and then applying a library Asset to the selected object.

Using Graphic or Text Assets via a Document

Example of two Linked objects dragged out of the Library and one Unlinked object Alt + dragged out of the Library.
Two linked objects dragged out of the Library and one unlinked object Alt + dragged out of the Library. All three were placed on the Artboard with the Place Gun.

To place a Graphic or Text asset from the current Library on the Artboard: in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Decide whether or not you want this use of the Library asset to be linked to the asset (i.e. whether or not you want this instance to change if you edit the library copy).
    1. If you want the object to be linked, click the library asset with the cursor and drag the cursor to the Artboard.  
    2. If you do NOT want the object to be linked, Alt + click the library asset with the cursor and drag the cursor to the Artboard.
  2. In either case, as soon as you release the mouse button over the Artboard, Ai will display the Place Gun tool (the same tool that you use to place an image in an Illustrator document). As you drag the Gun over the Artboard, Ai will place the object on the Artboard.  

Note that, if the object is linked (1.a), then when you finish dragging the Gun and whenever you select the object, Ai will display the new object with an "X" to signal that it has a linked to the library and will change if the library asset is changed. If the object is not linked (1.b), the object will not display an "X" and will behave like a normal, unlinked object.

Using Color, Character Style, or Paragraph Style Assets via the Artboard

Example of the same paragraph of Area Text reformatted with one click by applying two different Character Styles.
Two copies of the same paragraph of Area Text reformatted with one click by applying two different Character Styles.

To apply a Color, Character Style, or Paragraph Style asset from the Library to an object on the Artboard in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. On the Artboard, Select the object to which you want to apply the asset:
    1. If you are applying a color, Select the object in the Layers panel, and the fill or stroke, in the Attributes panel.
    2. If you are placing a Character Style or a Paragraph style, Select a text object.
  2. In the Library, locate the row representing the asset, and click its thumbnail. Ai will apply the color, character style, or paragraph style to the selected object.

Editing Graphics and Text Assets via the Library Panel

From a Library, you can edit Graphic or Text assets that may be linked to Artboard objects. When you save the changes, Ai will update all the Artboard objects that are linked to the assets.

To edit a Text or Graphic from within the Library panel in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Libraries panel, right click the Asset that you want to edit. Ai will display a list of commands for things that you can do with an Asset.
  2. In the list, click, "Edit." Ai will place the asset in a temporary document and open it for editing. The temporary document looks like, and can be edited like, a normal document, except that it has a very long file name that is made up of the Asset name plus an identifier string.  
  3. Edit the Asset in the window.
  4. Save and close the temporary file, just as though it were a normal file. When you close the file, Ai will update:
    1. The asset in the Library, and
    2. Any objects (in any documents) that have been linked to the Library Asset.

Integration between the CC Library and Illustrator Panels

Adobe has integrated CC Libraries with the three Illustrator panels that you would need to enforce an organization's style guide:

  • Swatches panel (Window > Swatches)
  • Character Styles panel (Window > Type > Character Styles)
  • Paragraph Styles panel (Window > Type > Character Styles)

Integration between a Library and the Swatches Panel

You can use commands in the Library and in the Swatches panel to directly exchange color assets between the two facilities.

Add a New Swatch to a Library from the Swatches Panel

Illustration of how to add a swatch from the Swatches panel to a CC Library.
Add a Swatch from the 'New Swatch' dialog of the Swatches panel and the Creative Cloud Libraries

To define a new color in the Swatches panel and add it directly to the Creative Cloud Library (without passing the Artboard) in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Go to the Swatches panel, and click the New Swatch Icon button. Ai will launch the New Swatches Dialog.
  2. In the dialog, define the color.
  3. At the bottom of the New Swatch panel, check the "Add to my Library" checkbox. Ai, will display a dropdown list of Libraries, preset to the current Library (e.g., Lapidary). Click the dropdown list's down arrow to select another library or click the "Create New Library …." command.
  4. Click OK. Ai will add the new color to both the Swatches panel and to the chosen Library.

 

Add an Existing Swatch or Color Group to a Library from the Swatches Panel

Illustration of how to add a Color Group from the Swatches Panel to a CC Library.
Add a Color Group from the Swatches Panel to a Creative Cloud Library

To move a Color Swatch or a Color Group directly from a Swatch to a Creative Cloud Library in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Open the Window > Library panel and choose a Library.
  2. In the Swatches panel, select the Swatch or Color Group that you want to add to the Library.
  3. At the bottom of the Swatches panel, click the "Add selected Swatches and Color Groups to my current Library" () button. As soon as you click the button, Ai will add the Swatch or Group to the current Library.

Hint

To add an entire Color Theme to a CC Library. After you have defined the theme in the Color Guide panel, simply click the "Save color group to Swatch panel" to make the theme a Color Group and then follow the above steps.

Add a Color from the Library to the Swatches panel

Illustration of How to add a Color from a CC Library to the Swatches Ppanel
Add a Color from a Creative Cloud Library to the Swatches Panel

To move a Color asset from a Creative Cloud Library to the Swatches panel in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Open the Window > Library panel and choose a Library.
  2. In the library, right click the color that you want to add to the Swatches panel. Ai will display a list of commands.
  3. In the list, click, "Add color to swatches." Ai will immediately add the color to the Swatches panel.

Edit a Color Asset in a CC Library

To edit a Creative Cloud Library Color asset in Adobe Illustrator:

Illustration of How to edit a Creative Cloud Library Color.
Edit a Creative Cloud Library Color
  1. In the Libraries panel, right click the Color that you want to edit. Ai will display a list of commands for things that you can do with an Asset.
  2. In the list, click, "Edit." Ai will launch the Color Picker.
  3. In the Color Picker, update the Color parameters.
  4. Click OK. Ai will update the Library asset.

Integration between a CC Library and the Character Styles Panel

Add a Character Style to the Library from the Panel

To add a Character Style from the Character Style panel to the Library, in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Open the Character Styles panel (Window > Type > Character Style).  Ai will open the panel, which shows a list of the currently defined Character Styles.
  2. Click one of the rows in the list to select the Style.
  3. At the bottom of the panel, click the "Add selected style to my current Library"() button. Ai will immediately add the Style to the library.

Add a Character Style to the Panel from the Library

Illustration of how to add a Character Style from a Creative Cloud Library to the Character Style panel.
Add a Character Style from a Creative Cloud Library to the Character Styles panel

To add a Character Style from a Creative Cloud Library to the Character Style panel in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Library, right-click the Character Style. Ai will pop-up a list of commands that are things you can do with an Asset.
  2. In the list, click the Add to Character Styles command. Ai will add the Style from the Library to the Character Styles panel.

Integration between a CC Library and the Paragraph Styles Panel

Add a Paragraph Style to the Library from the Panel

To add a Paragraph Style to the Library from the Paragraph Styles panel in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. Open the Paragraph Styles panel (Window > Type > Paragraph Styles).  Ai will open the panel, which shows a list of the currently defined Character Styles.
  2. Click one of the rows in the list to select the Style.
  3. At the bottom of the panel, click the "Add selected style to my current Library"() button. Ai will immediately add the Style to the library.

Add a Paragraph Style to the Panel from the Library

Illustration of how to Add a Paragraph Style from a Creative Cloud Library to the Paragraph Styles Panel.
Add a Paragraph Style from a Creative Cloud Library to the Paragraph Styles Panel

To add a Paragraph Style to the Paragraph Styles panel from a Creative Cloud Library in Adobe Illustrator: in Adobe Illustrator:

  1. In the Library, right-click the Paragraph Style. Ai will pop-up a list of ("things you can do with an Asset") commands.
  2. In the list, click the Add to Paragraph Styles command. Ai will add the Style from the Library to the Paragraph Styles panel.

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