Photoshop
Colour
Eyedropper Tool
The Eyedropper tool is used to set a foreground or background colour by sampling colours from an image. You can sample from the active image or any other image you have open in Photoshop.
The Eyedropper tool is bundled with the Colour Sampler tool, Measuring tool, Ruler tool, Note tool, and Count tool. Its keyboard shortcut is I.
Eyedropper Tool Options
- Sample Size
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The Eyedropper has a Sample Size option that dictates how many pixels will be sampled from the image. You can set this in the Tool Options bar or you can right-click (Ctrl-click) in the image and select an option from the context menu.
- Point Sample (one pixel)
- 3 by 3 Average (average value of 9 pixels)
- 5 by 5 Average (average value of 25 pixels)
- 11 by 11 Average (average value of 121 pixels)
- 31 by 31 Average (average value of 961 pixels)
- 51 by 51 Average (average value of 2601 pixels)
- 101 by 101 Average (average value of 10,201 pixels)
- The larger the sample, the more representative of the colours the sample will be.
- Sample
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The Sample option lets you choose between the following options:
- All Layers: Sample all layers
- Current Layer: Sample only the active layer
- Show Sampling Ring
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This option works only if your computer has OpenGL enabled.
When Show Sampling Ring is turned on, the Eyedropper tool will display a large ring around it. It moves and changes colour dynamically as you drag the cursor around the image. The outer ring is always grey. The inner ring is divided into a top and bottom section. The top section shows a preview of the colour currently selected by the Eyedropper tool. The bottom half displays the previously selected colour.
Let's try out the Eyedropper tool in a practice exercise.
Practice Exercise: Selecting Colours with the Eyedropper Tool
- Open the CDROM.tif image that you used in the New Images module.
- Select the Eyedropper tool in the Toolbox.
- Click around the CD-ROM image and notice that the colour that you click on is displayed as the foreground colour in the Toolbox. You can also drag the cursor around in the image and the foreground colour will change dynamically.
- Select a background colour with the Eyedropper by holding the Alt (Option) key while clicking in the image.
- Try setting the Sample Size to 5 by 5 Average to see how it works.
- Now switch to a painting tool (Brush, Pencil, Gradient or Paint Bucket). With any of these tools active, you can temporarily switch to the Eyedropper tool by holding down the Alt (Option) key and then click to sample a colour for the foreground. Try acquiring a colour this way.
- Right-click (Ctrl-click) on the image.
A context menu appears displaying the Sample Size options.
Following the Sample Size options is Copy Colour as HTML. When you choose this option, the hexadecimal code for the pixel you click on is copied to the computer's clipboard. You can paste this code into another application or into an HTML document. The format will look like: color="#7788e4".
The last option is Copy Colour's Hex Code. This copies just the hexadecimal value (without the # sign) to the computer's clipboard; e.g., 7788e4.
- Close the image without saving.
Eyedropper Tool Summary
- You can sample colours from any open image in Photoshop by clicking or dragging in the image with the Eyedropper tool.
- The colour you sample will set the foreground colour. To set the background colour, hold the Alt (Option) key while clicking or dragging.
- The sample size can be one pixel or multiple pixels, depending on the Sample Size option you choose.
- The Sample option sets whether the Eyedropper will sample from the current layer or all image layers.
- The Show Sampling Ring option enables a colour ring outside the Eyedropper tool that displays the current foreground colour sample and the previously sampled foreground colour.
Eyedropper Tool Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Eyedropper tool: I
- To temporarily access the Eyedropper while another painting tool is active: Alt (Option)
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