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Color swatch guide

How to add color swatches to the Palo Alto theme.

Palo Alto is a paid theme now sold under Presidio, $420 in the Theme Store and at version 9.2.0 (August 6, 2026) when we checked on October 23, 2026. Presidio documents a Native option in Theme settings > Swatches, with circle or rectangle swatches, but doesn't name a first version or a product card setting.

Checked Palo Alto theme profile

Which route fits Palo Alto?

Route 1

Shopify's native swatches.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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 Palo Alto.

  4. Set Type to Native in Theme settings

    In the theme editor, open Theme settings > Swatches and set Type to Native. The other choices are Theme and None. Choose Circle or Rectangle for Style.

  5. Product cards: not documented

    Presidio's Palo Alto pages we read don't document a product card swatch setting. Check Theme settings > Swatches and the collection template for one; if there isn't one, see Collection pages below.

  6. 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 Palo Alto 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.

Palo Alto's own swatches cover the product page, but Presidio's pages don't document product card swatches. GLO Color Swatch Variant Image and Color Swatch Pug both list collection-page swatches, and OP Color Swatch Variant Images restyles the product-page picker with stock badges.

  1. Duplicate Palo Alto first

    In Online Store > Themes, open the menu beside Palo Alto 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 replaces the product-page picker, set Swatches Type to None.

  6. Preview a product page and a collection page

    Use the theme editor preview, then a phone, to check both page types in Palo Alto. 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 Palo Alto

Swatch apps for Palo Alto, from each App Store listing on October 23, 2026
AppFromRatingWhat it does
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.
Color Swatch Pug $6.99/month 4.6 (55 reviews) One $6.99 monthly plan with a 14-day trial for color and pattern swatches on collection and product pages; it isn't Built for Shopify, and its listing still links to this site, which is independent of the publisher.
OP Color Swatch Variant Images $11.90/month 5.0 (802 reviews) Replaces your theme's text picker with color and image swatches plus stock badges; pricing follows your Shopify plan, from $11.90 a month.

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

Alternatives: Swatchy (Color Swatches) has a free plan for one product, and option builders such as Globo Product Options and Aris Product Options include swatches alongside text fields and add-on prices. Prices and ratings are in the apps table on the color swatch guide hub.

Route 3

Editing the theme code.

You don't need to edit code for swatches in Palo Alto. Palo Alto's Type: Native setting already reads Shopify's swatch data.

Collection pages.

Product card swatches aren't documented for Palo Alto. Look for a card option in Theme settings > Swatches, then fall back to filters or an app.

  1. Add color filters with swatches (optional)

    The Theme Store lists swatch filters for Palo Alto (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.

  2. Or add an app for card swatches

    GLO Color Swatch Variant Image and Color Swatch Pug both list collection-page swatches. Test on a duplicate of Palo Alto first.

Palo Alto at a glance.

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

Full Palo Alto profile Check images against Palo Alto's sizes
Palo Alto: theme facts
Theme Palo Alto
Vendor Presidio
Price $420 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 9.2.0 (August 6, 2026)
Native color swatches Yes
Variant picker block No block of that name documented
Swatch setting Theme settings > Swatches > Type: Native (options Theme / Native / None); Style: Circle or Rectangle
Swatches on product cards No setting documented
Theme Store swatch features Color swatches, swatch filters
Swatch documentation Presidio's documentation
Favicon 32 x 32 px Larger images are scaled down. Source: Presidio's documentation.
Last checked October 23, 2026

Swatch problems on Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto. In Palo Alto, check Type is Native in Theme settings > Swatches. If the Native choice is missing, your version is probably too old.

  • 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. Presidio gives a 32 x 32 px favicon size but no swatch size; keep swatches small.

  • Out-of-stock variants

    How a sold-out color looks is decided by the variant picker in Palo Alto, 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 Palo Alto 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.

Palo Alto swatch questions.

Where is the swatch setting in Palo Alto?

In Theme settings > Swatches. Set Type to Native for Shopify's category-metafield swatches, and pick Circle or Rectangle for Style.

Which Palo Alto version do I need for native swatches?

Presidio doesn't say. The Theme Store listed Palo Alto 9.2.0 from August 6, 2026 on October 23, 2026; if the Native option isn't there, update first.

Does Palo Alto show swatches on product cards?

Not that Presidio documents in the pages we read. Check the collection template, and use swatch filters or an app if there's no card setting.

Can Palo Alto show rectangle swatches?

Yes. Theme settings > Swatches > Style offers Circle or Rectangle. Rectangles suit fabric and wood patterns, where a wider sample reads better.

Is Palo Alto related to Broadcast?

Both are now sold under Presidio and share the same swatch setting layout: a Type choice of Theme, Native or None in Theme settings > Swatches.

Related guides and tools.

Themes like Palo Alto

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