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futdonor
futdonor
Inspiring
April 11, 2017
Answered

Eyedropper picking wrong color

  • April 11, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 24609 views

Hi everyone. I am using illustrator for about an year now. Recently found out that my eyedropper is picking colors in strange manner. Here are 4 different examples.

1. The original color sample is picked with the eyedropper tool from the image viewer window but resulted in different color #40a2ea

2. Here I used snip tool in windows 7 to capture the quick snapshot from image viewer and pasted the copied from clipboard. Illustrator pasted the image with the same color as picked in previous case.

3. In this case I directly dragged the original color sample file into the illustrator as a Linked file. then picked the color from it. Result was #41a6eb

4. I embedded the linked image now and used eyedropper again. Now it gives me the original color.

[I am using Illustrator cc 2015 3.1 with Document color->RGB and proof colors unchecked]

Please help why wrong colors are picked when simply using eyedropper tool to sample from an outside window.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer futdonor

How should Illustrator know the colors outside of itself?

Please read the documentation about the eyedropper tool in Illustrator.

It's mostly not about picking colors. It's about copying objects' attributes from one object to the other.


Hi, no problem.. I managed to solve this issue myself. The problem was with the color management profile.

In control panel->color management.. I changed the ICC profile to match with the RGB color profile in Illustrator->Edit->Color Setting


Now the illustrator is picking/sampling the correct color/fill/attribute from outside illustrator.

2 replies

T
tarmok40205869
Participant
April 5, 2023

I know it is years later, but embedding the image helped me get the right color with eyedrop tool

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 5, 2023
quote

I know it is years later, but embedding the image helped me get the right color with eyedrop tool


By @tarmok40205869

 

At least it looks like so. Embedding most probably has changed the colors already

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 11, 2017

The eyedropper tool picks up a screen representation of the color.

When you use the eyedropper tool and there is a small square beside the cursor icon, then the result will be processed by color management.

    futdonor
    futdonorAuthor
    Inspiring
    April 11, 2017

    Hi, Thanks for the quick response. I understand that it picks up the screen representation of the color. As you can see in the first case I am just picking the color from the image viewer and the result is visibly different.

    Also why there is difference in colors sampled between linked image and embedded image? embedded image results in correct color and the linked image is giving different color when picked..

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      April 12, 2017

      Illustrator has no control over linked image content.

      Eyedropper in Illustrator is completely different than eyedropper in Photoshop.

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