A paint color picker, also known as a color picker or eyedropper tool, lets you select a color from any visible part of your screen and apply it to your painting software or application. This is done by "sampling" the color from an image or area on your screen.
How to Use a Color Picker
The exact steps may vary slightly depending on the software you are using (e.g., Paint.NET, Photoshop, Blender, Figma, etc.), but the general process remains similar:
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Locate the Color Picker Tool: This is typically represented by an eyedropper icon in the toolbar of your painting program. Sometimes it's accessed through a menu (e.g., "Tools" or "Edit"). In some applications like MS Paint, it may be more obvious and easily accessible. As noted in one source, finding the color picker in some software may require using menus or toolbars [Blender DevTalk].
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Select the Tool: Click on the eyedropper/color picker icon to activate it. This will change your cursor into an eyedropper icon.
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Sample the Color: Position your cursor over the color you want to sample. Then, click and hold briefly. The color will be picked up. If there are limitations like problems with the eyedropper not selecting the correct color, as mentioned in one source in relation to Maya, the issue should be investigated and resolved [Autodesk Forums].
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Apply the Color: The sampled color will typically be applied directly to your selected painting tool (brush, fill, etc.), or it will populate a color box for you to use. Sometimes, the sampled color isn't directly applied; you need to click on the color swatch to set the color [Reddit AffinityPhoto]. For example, in Figma, the color picker allows applying paints to various elements [Figma Help].
Examples:
- MS Paint: In MS Paint, you will likely find a readily available color picker tool. It's a basic color selection tool which works simply by clicking and dragging to select a color from your image. This information supports that fact the method of finding and using a color picker can change depending on what software or application is used [superuser.com].
- Blender: Blender's color picker functionality might require some familiarity with either the hotkeys or the menus and toolbars, as referenced in one discussion about user experience [Blender DevTalk].
- Paint.NET: In Paint.NET, right-clicking might also have specific functionality that involves color picking but may behave unexpectedly [Paint.NET Forums].
Troubleshooting:
- If your color picker isn't working correctly, ensure the application is open and that the layer you want to sample is visible and selected.
- It's important to note that screen captures can also be used for color selection. Opening the capture image with an application like MS Paint can facilitate color sampling [superuser.com].
