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KRSTF
KRSTF
Known Participant
August 28, 2020
Answered

Getting wrong readings from eyedropper tool.

  • August 28, 2020
  • 1 reply
  • 450 views

Hello everyone! 

 

Am I doning something wrong or is my eyedropper tool giving me incorrect readings?

Basically when I sample area (hover over an area I want to get reading from) where I know it is clipped shadows, it tells me K=90%. But that should be 100%, no?

When I sample area where I know the highlights are not clipped, it tells me K=0%.

The histogram confirms that there are no clipped highlights and that there are clipped shadows.

 

It is really strange to me, but perhaps I am using it wrong?

 

Thanks in advance for your time! 

All the best from Prague

Krystof

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Dave Creamer of IDEAS

You are just reading the K channel. A lot of the tone is in the CMY channels. If you want just the K readout (essentially, merging all the colors) use the Panel Options menu to change our CMYK readout to Grayscale (K only).

1 reply

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 28, 2020

You are just reading the K channel. A lot of the tone is in the CMY channels. If you want just the K readout (essentially, merging all the colors) use the Panel Options menu to change our CMYK readout to Grayscale (K only).

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
KRSTF
KRSTFAuthor
Known Participant
August 28, 2020

Thank you so much, Creamer! It worked. 

I knew I am dumb, but now there is a proof on the internet. : D

 

I was baffled why are there any values in CMY. I thought since it is B/W image there should be only K value. But I've dissmised it as part of the error. Turns out I don't know enough.

 

Anyway thank you again for your time.

I am off to do some googling on the CMYK topic.  

 

K

Dave Creamer of IDEAS
Community Expert
Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
Community Expert
August 28, 2020

The CMYK values would happen if the image was printed as a 4-color black. This gets into the color management stuff that I won't go into now...

 

Don't sweat not knowing something. Very few people can claim to know everything there is to know about a program like Photoshop. Many of us, myself included, learn the hard way--messing up, asking for help or looking it up, and remembering it for later.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
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