I often work with pallets and sometimes i have the situation that i want to experiment with colors. Is it possible to use "named" colors that you can change like a gradient? Currently i used Linear Gradient with the same color on both ends. So if i change the gradient i can change the color of all objects that using it. But it has one major disadvantage: Its much slower then a simple color, which reduces my working speed significantly if i have a lot of details. The build in pallet shows nothing and i couldn't even figure out how to add colors. It just shows a placeholder.

There's a teeny, tiny, left-pointing arrow (triangle) at the right end of the default Inkscape palette (does not scroll out of view). If you click that, you have a choice of several palettes. I don't know if any of them use named colors. But I do know that you can import a GIMP palette, which would be displayed there, after import.

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I found the instructions for importing a GIMP palette. Hopefully someone else knows....maybe it's in the Guide? So you can create your own named colors palette in GIMP, and import to Inkscape. It's not hard to do (I know because I've done it -- just so long ago that I don't remember how ).

But I don't think that will solve your problem of wanting to change all instances of a particular color, to another color. There is a way to do that using the XML Editor, I think. But again, I fail in not remembering how to do it

niabot wrote:Is it possible to use "named" colors that you can change like a gradient? Currently i used Linear Gradient with the same color on both ends. So if i change the gradient i can change the color of all objects that using it. But it has one major disadvantage: Its much slower then a simple color, which reduces my working speed significantly if i have a lot of details.

'Custom swatches' have returned in 0.48, but the UI might be improved in future versions. It doesn't address the speed issue (also based on gradients, single stop ones though for solid swatch colors, or regular gradients for gradient swatches).

niabot wrote:The build in pallet shows nothing and i couldn't even figure out how to add colors. It just shows a placeholder.

Did you choose the 'Auto' palette (which will display all custom swatches (aka named colors) that are saved within the <defs> of the current doc)? Create an object with the color (or gradient) you want to add to the 'Auto' palette, or select an existing object and click on the 'Swatches' icon in the fill&stroke dialog: this will add the color to the 'Auto' palette - either in the one below the canvas, which - on your screenshot - is hidden or in the 'Swatches' dialog.

In the context menu of the 'Auto' palette there are additional options to convert existing gradients into custom swatches, and to delete unwanted swatches.

"Auto Palette" -- awesome, I had no idea!