Sample true color from layer less than 100% opacity

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
February 12, 2017
3 replies
2441 views

Hi everyone, long time...

I load in a photo. I add an empty layer underneath the photo. I drop the photo layer to 25% opacity. I begin sketching on the empty layer beneath. I want to sample colors from the photo layer above, but it's at 25% opacity. So when I use the eyedropper to sample the color, it looks washed out.

Is there a way to sample that color from the photo as if that layer was at 100% opacity?

This topic has been closed for replies.

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

There might be some some workarounds with scripting; however, it's not possible to get the cursor position with extendscript. So writing a script to get the position and sample the color would not work. Best I can think of is to create a script to set the opacity of the layer above the active layer to 100%, and another one to set it back. You could then assign the two scripts to a hot key to press quickly. You would need to record the layer's opacity value and store it somewhere - perhaps it the file's metadata or to the clipboard.

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

Yea, I understand. There was a post a while back regarding this with the OP wanting to do the same thing. I just don't know of any other way of doing it.

B

boo_radley_2013Author

Inspiring

dang. Oh well. I'm pretty sure it can be done with scripting... I'll try it. So in other words, every time you hold down ALT, it will temporarily change the above layer's opacity to 100% while it samples a color- and then when you let go of ALT, it will return the top layer's opacity to 25% and you can begin painting again on the layer below, having successfully sampled a color from the layer above at full opacity.

The reason for this is fast workflow. Selecting the layer above, changing its opacity, then re-selecting the layer below to paint is a workflow kill, in the worst way. It's not practical.

I'll report back if I can find a way to do this.

davescm

Community Expert

A quick workaround if you have the screen space is to duplicate the image (Image -Duplicate) then go to Window-Arrange and Tile 2 up vertical. You now have both the working image and a duplicate along-side each other . You can set your top layer to 100% in the duplicate. Then with the brush selected in the working image you can Alt click on the duplicate to sample and paint with that colour on the working version.

Bit of a workaround but much quicker than changing layers for every sample

Dave

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

Are you using "Sample current layer only?"

B

boo_radley_2013Author

Inspiring

Thank you my friend.

No, it's set to "all layers".

The problem is that the photograph layer on top is at 25% opacity, so it samples the color at 25% opacity- which ends up being a de-saturated, dull color.

I was hoping to find a way to sample the *true* color from that layer, regardless of its opacity level, without having to manually change its opacity to 100%, sample the color, then change the opacity back to 25%.

Chuck Uebele

Community Expert

Only way I know is to use sample current layer and select that layer to take a sample.

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