Using the Color Dropper

Use the Color Dropper tool to select and apply colors. The Color Dropper tool is located in the Toolbox. The Color Dropper can select colors from any object in a document.

Colors you select with the Color Dropper become the current foreground or background colors for painting and the current pen inks and fill inks for new vector objects.

This tool helps keep color consistency within a document and is useful for photo retouching. It can also help identify colors from documents imported into Canvas X Draw.

To Use the Color Dropper Tool:

Click the Color Dropper in the Toolbox.
Click on the color in your document that you want to select.

Color Dropper Modes

Select the Color Dropper tool to view the settings in the Properties bar. Select a mode. The mode remains set unless you change the setting in the Properties bar.

Object Ink

In vector or text objects, the Color Dropper selects object inks —color, gradient, symbol, texture, pattern, and hatch inks. It does not take into account transfer modes or transparency effects.

If you click an object’s stroke, you select its pen ink; if you click an object’s interior, you select its fill ink. In the case of paint objects, which do not have inks, the color you click is selected as a color ink.

For example, if you click a gradient ink with the Color Dropper, it selects the gradient ink.

In paint objects, paint colors are selected, not colors you see due to transfer modes, channel masks, or other transparency effects; i.e., if you click a black area that is 50% transparent, you select solid black.

Pixel Color

This mode works the same whether you click a paint, vector, or text object. The color of the pixel is selected. The Color manager in the Attributes palette indicates the color values.

Color Mode

Select RGB, CMYK, or Grayscale. The Color Dropper converts any color you click to the selected color system. For best performance, choose the color system that matches the colors you are sampling; however, you may want to select a color system that differs from an image. You might do this to see the effect of a color conversion, such as RGB to CMYK for printing, for example.

To Select an Ink (Object Ink Mode):

Click the Color Dropper tool in the Toolbox.
Select Object Ink for the mode in the Properties bar.
Do one of the following:
- To set the fill ink: Click an ink to make it the current fill ink. You can click a pen ink or a fill ink; in either case, the ink you click becomes the current fill ink.
- To set the pen ink: Right-click an ink to make it the current pen ink. You can click a pen ink or a fill ink; in either case, the ink you click becomes the current pen ink.

To Select a Color (Pixel Color Mode):

Click the Color Dropper tool in the Toolbox.
Select Pixel Color for the mode in the Properties bar.
Click a color to set the current fill ink color (vector and text objects) and background color (image objects). Right-click to set the current pen ink color (vector and text objects) and foreground color (image objects).

To Select Colors Outside Canvas X Draw:

With the Color Dropper selected, drag from the Canvas X Draw window to anywhere on screen. As long as you keep the mouse button pressed, the Color Dropper remains active; the ink icons in the Toolbox show you the colors the tool can select. Release the mouse button to select the color under the tip of the pointer.

While editing an image with a painting tool, you can quickly switch to the Color Dropper. Press Option to display the Color Dropper, and click to select a foreground color for painting.

The color you select becomes the current fill ink and background color. You can’t use this method to select the pen color.

To Apply Colors to Vector and Text Objects:

Do one or more of the following:

To apply the current fill ink to the object, Command-click a vector or text object.
To apply the current pen ink to the object, Command-right-click a vector or text object.

The Color Dropper mode does not affect the application of colors. You cannot apply colors to paint objects using the Color Dropper tool.

Getting Inks from Vector and Text Objects

Canvas X Draw lets you add inks from vector objects and text objects to the Presets palette. If a text object contains both a text fill and a background fill, only the text fill will be added to the palette. You can also add the inks of multiple selected objects; however, the inks from group objects and macro objects cannot be added.

To Add Inks from Objects to the Presets Palette:

Select either the pen ink or fill ink icon on the Presets palette, depending on the type of ink you want to add.
Drag the vector or text object onto the preset inks area of the appropriate ink type in the Presets palette; i.e., gradient inks only apply to the gradient ink type, hatch inks to the hatch ink type, etc.

Using the Color Dropper

Using the Color Dropper

Using the Color Dropper

To Use the Color Dropper Tool:

Color Dropper Modes

To Select an Ink (Object Ink Mode):

To Select a Color (Pixel Color Mode):

To Select Colors Outside Canvas X Draw:

To Apply Colors to Vector and Text Objects:

Getting Inks from Vector and Text Objects

To Add Inks from Objects to the Presets Palette:

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