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Color swatch guide

How to add color swatches to the Empire theme.

Empire is a paid Pixel Union theme, $360 in the Theme Store and at version 13.0.1 (August 24, 2026) when we checked on October 23, 2026. Version 13.0.0, released May 20, 2026, added support for metafield swatches. Empire runs swatches from one theme setting, which Pixel Union says covers the product page, product cards and tag filters.

Checked Empire theme profile

Which route fits Empire?

Route 1

Shopify's native swatches.

Native swatch support in Empire from version 13.0.0.

  1. Update Empire to 13.0.0 or later

    Metafield swatch support arrived in Empire 13.0.0 on May 20, 2026. Check your version in Online Store > Themes and update if needed.

  2. Give each product a category

    In Products, open a product and choose the most specific match in the Category field. Categories come from Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy, and picking one adds that category's attributes to the product as category metafields. You want a category that lists Color (or a color attribute such as Frame color or Band color). If Color is missing under Category metafields, try a narrower category.

  3. Add the colors you sell

    Under Category metafields, open Color and select every color your variants come in. Each color is a reusable entry. You can rename an entry, set its exact hex value or upload a pattern image later in Content > Metaobjects, and the change shows everywhere that entry is used.

  4. Link the Color option to the metafield

    In the Variants section, add an option and pick Color from the suggestions so its values come from the entries you just chose. If the product already has a Color option, open it, use the connect icon beside the option name and choose the Color category metafield. Swatches only appear for options linked this way, so do this on every product you want swatches on in Empire.

  5. Turn on Empire's color swatches

    In the theme editor, open Theme settings > Products > Color swatches and turn on Enable color swatches. Pixel Union's June 2026 guide keeps this switch even for category-metafield swatches.

  6. Match the swatch trigger to your option name

    In the same group, the Swatch trigger field must match your option's name exactly. It's Color by default, so an option called Colour or Shade needs the trigger changed to match.

  7. Check it on a real product page

    Save, then open a product in a private browser window and on your phone. Click each swatch and confirm the price, photo and stock message change with it. If Empire shows plain text buttons instead, go back to the linking step: the option is probably not linked to the Color category metafield yet.

Route 2

A swatch app.

Empire already shows swatches on product pages and product cards, so an app is for extras. Platmart Color Swatches joins separate products into one color picker, Rubik Variant Images & Swatch shows only the chosen color's photos, and GLO Color Swatch Variant Image adds product grouping and a hide-sold-out option.

  1. Duplicate Empire first

    In Online Store > Themes, open the menu beside Empire and choose Duplicate. Set up the app on the copy, preview it, and publish the copy only when the swatches look right. Your live store keeps working while you test.

  2. Install the app and start its trial or free plan

    Install the app from the Shopify App Store and approve the access it asks for. Every app suggested on this page had a free plan, a free listing or a free trial of 7 to 30 days when we checked on October 23, 2026, so you can test before you pay.

  3. Switch on the app embed

    Open the theme editor on your copy (Online Store > Themes, then Customize or Edit theme), click the App embeds icon in the left sidebar, switch on the app's embed and click Save.

  4. Match each color name to a swatch

    In the app's own settings, give each color name a hex value or a small image. Apps read your option values as text, so Navy on one product and Navy Blue on another need two swatches. Tidy the names first and you only set each color once.

  5. Avoid two sets of swatches

    If the app draws its own swatches, turn off Enable color swatches.

  6. Preview a product page and a collection page

    Use the theme editor preview, then a phone, to check both page types in Empire. If the app adds collection-page swatches, click one on a product card and confirm the card's photo or link changes to that color.

Apps that fit Empire

Swatch apps for Empire, from each App Store listing on October 23, 2026
AppFromRatingWhat it does
Platmart Color Swatches $9.99/month 5.0 (144 reviews) Made for stores that list each color as its own product: it joins them into one listing with swatches and lists collection-page support.
Rubik Variant Images & Swatch $25/month 5.0 (495 reviews) Best known for showing only the selected color's photos, with swatches included and ThemeForest themes named under Works with, but paid plans start at $25 a month.
GLO Color Swatch Variant Image $9.90/month 4.9 (1,906 reviews) A dedicated swatch app whose free plan already covers collection-page swatches and hiding sold-out options; image swatches start on the $9.90 Silver plan.

Prices and ratings change often; check the listing before you install. This site is not affiliated with any of these publishers.

Alternatives: Variants King & Color Swatch also groups separate products by color, and FB Variant Image, Color Swatch is free. Both were listed in the Shopify App Store on October 23, 2026.

Route 3

Editing the theme code.

You don't need to edit code for swatches in Empire. Pixel Union says Empire's Color swatches setting covers the product page, product cards and tag filters.

Collection pages.

Empire uses the same Color swatches setting for product cards as for the product page, so once it's on, collection grids show swatches too.

  1. Check the Color swatches setting

    Open Theme settings > Products > Color swatches, confirm Enable color swatches is on and the trigger matches your option name.

  2. Add color filters with swatches (optional)

    The Theme Store lists swatch filters for Empire (checked October 23, 2026). Open the Search & Discovery app, go to Filters > Add filter, choose Color with the type Category metafield, then open Manage values and turn on Include swatch. For patterns, turn on Use images when available so the filter shows each entry's image.

Empire at a glance.

The theme's facts from the Shopify Theme Store and Pixel Union's documentation, checked October 23, 2026. Anything we could not confirm says so.

Full Empire profile Check images against Empire's sizes
Empire: theme facts
Theme Empire
Vendor Pixel Union
Price $360 One-time license price in the Shopify Theme Store, in US dollars, checked October 23, 2026.
Free or paid Paid
Where it is sold Shopify Theme Store
Status Current theme
Online Store 2.0 Yes
Current version 13.0.1 (August 24, 2026)
Native color swatches Yes From version 13.0.0.
Variant picker block No block of that name documented
Swatch setting Theme settings > Products > Color swatches > Enable color swatches (Swatch trigger field must match the option name, default "Color")
Swatches on product cards Same theme setting (Theme settings > Products > Color swatches); Pixel Union says Empire shows swatches on the product page, product card and tag filters
Theme Store swatch features Color swatches, swatch filters
Swatch documentation Pixel Union's documentation
Logo 200 x 80 px PNG; doubling for Retina (400 x 160) suggested. Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Slideshow on desktop 2880 x 1000 px Medium height; Small 2880 x 800, Large 2880 x 1200, Fit screen 2880 x 2880. Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Slideshow on phones 600 x 600 px Medium; Small 600 x 500, Large 600 x 700, XL 600 x 800. Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Collection list images 2000 x 2000 px Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Featured collection images 500 x 750 px Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Image with text overlay 1800 x 1000 px Source: Pixel Union's documentation.
Last checked October 23, 2026

Swatch problems on Empire, and fixes.

  • Swatches not showing

    Work through three checks in order: the product has a category that includes Color, its Color option is linked to the Color category metafield, and the swatch setting is on in Empire. In Empire, check Enable color swatches is on and that the Swatch trigger matches your option name letter for letter.

  • Wrong colors

    A native swatch takes its color from the entry in Content > Metaobjects, not from the color's name. Open the entry, correct the hex value and save, and every product linked to it updates at once. If two products show different shades of the same color, they're probably linked to two separate entries, so point both at one.

  • Pattern or image swatches

    Upload a square image to the color's entry. Crop it to the fabric or finish itself rather than a product photo, because at swatch size a busy photo turns into a blur. Multicolor has no preset hex value, so it always needs an image. Pixel Union's image guide covers logos and slideshows, not swatches; keep swatch images to a small square.

  • Out-of-stock variants

    How a sold-out color looks is decided by the variant picker in Empire, so test it: set one color to zero stock and open the product. If you'd rather hide sold-out colors completely, Color Swatch Pug and GLO Color Swatch Variant Image both list that option (checked October 23, 2026).

  • Speed

    Native swatches are drawn by Empire itself, so they add no app script to your pages. A hex swatch costs nothing extra to load; an image swatch adds one small image per color, so keep those files small. The swatch loading speed guide shows how to measure a collection page before and after a change.

Empire swatch questions.

Which Empire version supports category-metafield swatches?

Version 13.0.0, released May 20, 2026, added metafield swatch support. The Theme Store listed Empire 13.0.1 from August 24, 2026 on October 23, 2026.

What is the swatch trigger in Empire?

It's the option name Empire looks for when deciding which option gets swatches. The default is Color, so it must match your option's name exactly.

Do I still need Empire's own swatch setting with native swatches?

Yes. Pixel Union's June 2026 guide links the Color category metafield and still has you turn on Enable color swatches in Theme settings > Products.

Does Empire show swatches on collection pages?

Yes. Pixel Union says the same setting shows swatches on the product page, on product cards and in tag filters.

What logo size does Empire want?

Pixel Union's image article, dated May 16, 2024, suggests a 200 x 80 px PNG logo, or 400 x 160 for sharp screens. It doesn't give a swatch image size.

Related guides and tools.

Themes like Empire

About this page

This page replaces "CSP App setup for Empire Theme", a guide published June 21, 2018 on this domain for an earlier version of the Color Swatch Pug app. The domain changed hands in September 2026, and the old guide's manual code steps no longer apply to the app.

Checked

Sources

Make the swatch files.

Turn your colors into hex values, swatch images and a printable sheet, ready for Shopify.

Open the swatch generator All theme guides