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Adobe Photoshop Color Picker Tools

The eyedropper tool samples color to designate a new foreground or background color. You can sample from the active image or from anywhere else on the screen.
You can also specify the area sampled by the eyedropper tool. For example, you can set the eyedropper to sample the color values of a 3-by-3-pixel area under the pointer. Modifying the sample size of the eyedropper affects the color readouts displayed in the Info palette.

To select the foreground or background color:
Select the eyedropper tool. To change the sample size of the eyedropper, choose an option from the Sample Size menu: Point Sample to read the precise value of the pixel you click. 3 by 3 Average or 5 by 5 Average to read the average value of the specified number of pixels within the area you click. Do one of the following: To select a new foreground color, click in the image. Alternately, position the pointer over the image, press the mouse button, and drag anywhere on the screen. The foreground color selection box changes dynamically as you drag. Release the mouse button to pick the new color. To select a new background color, Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) in the image. Alternately, position the pointer over the image, press Alt (Windows) or Options (Mac OS), press the mouse button, and drag anywhere on the screen. The background color selection box changes dynamically as you drag. Release the mouse button to pick the new color.
To use the eyedropper tool temporarily while using any painting tool, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS).

You can use the Info palette and the Color palette to see the color value of pixels as you make color corrections. When you work with a color adjustment dialog box, the Info palette displays two sets of color values for the pixels under the pointer. The value in the left column is the original color value. The value in the right column is the color value after the adjustment is made. You can view the color and position of a single location using the eyedropper tool (top two rows), or you can use up to four color samplers to display color information for one or more locations in the image. These samplers are saved in the image, so you can refer to them repeatedly as you work, even if you close and reopen the image.
Choose Window > Info to open the Info palette. Select the eyedropper tool or color sampler tool , and choose a sample size in the options bar: Point Sample to read the value of a single pixel. 3 by 3 Average to read the average value of a 3-by-3 pixel area. 5 by 5 Average to read the average value of a 5-by-5 pixel area. If you selected the color sampler tool, place up to four color samplers on the image. Click where you want to place a sampler. Open an adjustment dialog box. Make your adjustments in the dialog box, and before applying them, view the before and after color values in the Info palette: To view color values using the eyedropper tool, move the pointer over the area of the image you want to examine. Opening an adjustment dialog box activates the eyedropper tool outside the dialog box. You still have access to the scroll controls and to the hand and zoom tools by using keyboard shortcuts. To view the color values under the color samplers, look at the lower half of the Info palette. To place additional color samplers in the image while the adjustment dialog box is open, Shift-click in the image.
To move, delete, or hide a color sampler:
Do any of the following: To move a color sampler, select the color sampler tool, and drag the sampler to the new location. To delete a color sampler, select the color sampler tool. Drag the sampler out of the document window, or hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and click the sampler. To delete all color samplers, click Clear in the options bar. To delete a color sampler while an adjustment dialog box is open, hold down Alt+Shift (Windows) or Option+Shift (Mac OS), and click the sampler. To toggle the display of all color samplers in an image, choose View > Extras. A check mark indicates that color samplers are showing.
To change the display of color sampler information in the Info palette:
Do any of the following: To display or hide color sampler information in the Info palette, choose Color Samplers from the palette menu. A check mark indicates that the color sampler information is showing. To change the color space in which a color sampler displays values, move the pointer onto the color sampler icon in the Info palette, hold down the mouse button, and choose another color space from the menu.
To use the eyedropper tool and Color palette to see color values:
Choose Window > Color to open the Color palette. Open the color adjustment dialog box. This activates the eyedropper tool outside the dialog box and over the image. Click the pixel you want to check in the image. Make the adjustments in the dialog box, and before applying them, view the adjusted color values in the Color palette.

The measure tool calculates the distance between any two points in the work area. When you measure from one point to another, a nonprinting line is drawn and the options bar and Info palette show the following information:

The starting location (X and Y).
The horizontal (W) and vertical (H) distances traveled from the x- and y-axes.
The angle measured relative to the axis (A).
The total distance traveled (D1).
When using a protractor, you can view two distances traveled (D1 and D2).
All measurements except the angle are calculated in the unit of measure currently set in the Units & Rulers preference dialog box (Pixels, Inches, Centimeter, Milimeter, Points, Picas or Percents).

Next...The Hand Tool

Author: AB

Date created: February 19, 2003