Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
big monitor, it can take a bit of maneuvering to get the program windows positioned so you can
perform this procedure.
The Eyedropper is one of the easiest tools to use:
1.
Click the eyedropper icon in the Tools panel or press I
.
Your cursor changes into a tiny eyedropper.
2.
Put your cursor over the color you want to sample
.
If you want to watch the color in the foreground color square change as you move the
Eyedropper tool around, hold the mouse button down.
If you have a layered file, you can use the radio buttons in the Tool Options area to
tell Elements whether to sample from
all
the image's layers or just the active layer.
3.
When your cursor is over the color you want, click or let go of your mouse but-
ton
.
Elements loads your color choice as the foreground color so it's ready to use. (To set
the background color instead, Alt-click/Option-click the color you want.)
To keep the new color around so you can use it later without having to get the Eyedropper
out again, save it in the Swatches panel. The next section teaches you how.
TIP
Unless you tell it otherwise, the Eyedropper tool selects the color of the
exact
pixel you
click. But since there may be some slight pixel-to-pixel variation in a color, you can set it
to sample a little block of pixels instead and then average them. In the Eyedropper's Tool
Options area, you can choose between the exact pixel you click (Point Sample), a 3-pixel
square average, or a 5-pixel square average; just click the option you want. You can also
do this by right-clicking/Control-clicking your image when the Eyedropper tool is active,
and then choosing from the pop-up menu. Oddly enough, this setting also applies to the
Magic Wand (
The Magic Wand
)
. Change it here and you change it for the Wand, too.
