How to use Illustrator adjust color balance command. The paths / pattern swatches / gradients / meshes etc can be re-colored in a number of ways such as using the color libraries but you you can also use the powerful adjust color balance feature to change the color of many different designs, single path or multiple paths and much more. It is a destructive effect, so the only solution to reverse it is undo.
The command can be found in the edit menu. Select a path, apply pattern swatch (or not) by using the swatches panel and go to the edit menu and then edit colors and the command and you can then change the red, green etc or cyan, magenta etc as the panel depends on the current mode which maybe RGB or CMYK.
The panel has the option for the mode so if you are currently in RGB, you can only select gray scale or RGB from this drop down. If in CMYK, you can only select the gray scale and CMYK. There is a convert option if you decide you want to convert to gray scale via this panel. Below the convert you will find the red, green and blue etc sliders and you can change the percentages for these such as less red or more green etc. You can also select or deselect what you want to manipulate so if you don't want to change the stroke, just deselect it. If there is no stroke, this will make no difference. You can also preview the result.
If you have a selected path (filled with swatches or not), you may wish to turn the artwork into a black and white (gray scale) vector pattern then you can use the convert command. Select a path or multiple paths and apply the command and select the convert check box and then set to gray scale (if available) and change the black setting to left or right (left for lightness). You can turn any colorful path into a gray scale design.
You can turn any colorful path into a red design (or a green design or blue design etc). Select a path and / or swatch and then go to command and select the preview on and go to the red slider and then slide to the red to the extreme right or the green to the extreme right
You can always edit the original source swatch by double clicking the swatch in the panel and then selecting paths in the pattern editor and then using the adjust color balance, such as changing the color from green to blue etc. The advantage is that you can always tweak the artwork using the adjust color balance command and then use the save a copy command to capture the new colorful pattern after each change and create multiple colorful pattern swatches from a single swatch (as well as edit and transform the artwork). Display swatches panel by going to the window menu. Double click a swatch in the panel. Select the paths in the pattern editor and then use the command to re-color the work. Click the "save a copy" and then done.
As the pattern swatch in the panel is updated with the new color. You can always duplicate the original pattern. Go to the swatches panel and select the pattern swatch and right side menu and duplicate swatch and edit the swatch using the ACB command
Select a path filled with a gradient and you can go to the command in the edit menu and modify the color of the gradient, making it more red or green etc. You will notice that all the stops will change at the same time, stops that are white will not change but all the other stops in the gradient will be modified by the percentage set for the red, green and blue etc. You can also re-color a freeform gradient with the command, all the stops in the freeform will be changed by the percentages set though stops of white will not be changed. Again, this is a destructive effect and the only way to reverse it will be an undo.
You can select any number of characters and change the fill by the set percentages. This only works for the entire type block or the selected characters. The characters not selected will not be changed by the command.
You can also use the same panel to modify the stroke, just set the stroke option in the panel to ON and the stroke will change. The fill can be set to on as well but if you don't want the fill to change then turn it off.
You can also use the command with a selected imported / placed image so if you want your image to a little bit more red or yellow, just use the edit menu command though the features to manipulate the RGB images etc are limited compared to Photoshop. You can also use the convert feature to convert the RGB or CMYK image into gray scale.
You can also use it to recolor designs such as meshes, select a path containing that and apply and modify all the selected points. Youtube video on subject
You cannot select the object used with the new repeat feature but you can double click the object and then select the individual items and then apply the command to that. Any change to the selected item will be reflected in changes to the others
You can also use the same command with the graphic styles and any associated paths. If there is something that cannot be changed then this will not fully work. If it is just a path with a fill etc or perhaps a bevel etc then the command can be used to change the design such as using some of the default presets supplied with the application. You can increase the green or blue etc percentages. Works on the selected paths, all the other paths are ignored
You can also select an image and then go to the same commands and apply the CMYK / gray scale etc to that as well. If in RGB then you will be offered RGB and gray scale, CMYK if in CMYK mode. You can then convert between them as well and create all kinds of amazing imagery. You can also use the invert command as well. Another option for images would be to use a rectangle on top of the image and use blending modes. You can also set the image as gray scale and then change the fill to red / green to create a red / green image. You can also use third party plugins such as the Astute Graphic's Phantasm.