I created an attribute called color.  I have around 50 color / color-combinations.  Each product will likely only come in 3 colors.  When I choose my 3 desired colors on the variant page under product options all 50 are still visible in the drop-down.  I can't present this many choices to my customers.  How do I make ONLY the 3/50 I selected visible in the drop-down ... not just disabled?

OK.  Please advise on how to address my issue.  I will have color as an option for every single one of my products.  Are you suggesting I create an attribute named "color" for every single one of my products every time?  I have a list of 50 colors that will rarely change.  Every product will have a color attribute always.  A product however will only come in 3 color options out of a possible 50. 

I will have the same issue with size.  This store for women's clothing ranging from size 8-26 depending on the product.

I would simply like to "check the appropriate boxes" to enable which colors / sizes are available when entering a new or editing a product. 

What do you suggest?

I don't find it hard to follow, and I have gone through the tutorial.  My point is that it seems there should be an easier solution, and I'm trying to figure out what that is?  If I have a list of 50 colors, there are potentially 125,000 combinations of sets of 3.  Granted that number will be less in my instance since red-blue-green & blue-green-red should be counted as a single combination and red-red-red should not be counted as a combination.  What I am struggling with is the effort required to enter this as you suggest for each product.   Additionally managing such a high number of attributes named color sounds cumbersome as well. 

I will continue with your recommendation for now.  Thanks.