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CHAPTER 8
Painting
You can change the foreground or background
color by using the eyedropper tool, the Swatches
palette, the icons in the toolbox, or the Adobe
Color Picker.
Using color settings in the toolbox
In the toolbox, the current foreground color
appears in the topmost color selection box; the
current background color appears in the bottom
box.
The Info palette and the Adobe Color Picker let
you display color values using a number of color
models. (See “Choosing an image mode” on
page 54.)
To change the foreground or background color:
1
Do one of the following:
•
To change the foreground color, click the
topmost color box in the toolbox.
•
To change the background color, click the
bottom color box in the toolbox.
2
Choose a color in the Adobe Color Picker, and
click OK. (See “Using the Adobe Color Picker” on
page 131.)
To switch the color in the foreground and background
boxes:
Click the Switch Colors icon in the toolbox.
To set the foreground and background color boxes to
black and white:
Click the Default Colors icon in the toolbox.
Using the eyedropper tool
The eyedropper tool samples color from an image
to designate a new foreground or background
color. You can sample from the active image or
from another open image. (When you’re using the
eyedropper, you can click in another image
without making it the active image.) You can even
sample color anywhere on your computer screen
including the desktop and within the application
window.
You can also specify the size of the area that the
eyedropper tool samples. For example, you can set
the eyedropper to sample the color values of a
5-by-5 or 3-by-3 pixel area under the pointer.
Selecting a foreground color with the eyedropper tool
A.
Point Sample
B.
5 x 5 average sample
To select the foreground or background color:
1
Select the eyedropper tool
.
2
To change the sample size of the eyedropper,
choose an option from the Sample Size menu:
•
Point Sample to get the precise value of the pixel
you click.
•
3 by 3 Average or 5 by 5 Average to get the
average value of the specified number of pixels
within the area you click.
A
B
