A

Anonymous

Question

Gradients and the eye dropper tool

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
August 25, 2009
9 replies
53108 views

When you're editing a gradient within the shape (as opposed to in the Gradients palette), is there any way to use the eye dropper tool to sample an existing color? In-shape gradient editing (or whatever Adobe calls it) is useless without the eye dropper.

This topic has been closed for replies.

P

PointerDesigner

Known Participant

I have found, in MANY adobe products, that they eyedrop tool seems to function differently (or not at all) depending on your group configurations, what you're pulling from and to. Nested groups in Illustrator seem to cause issue with consistency on applying eyedropper effects. Ungroup all nested groups, then if you want the items grouped, group them all together at once. Then try the eyedropper tool and see if it works.

With InDesign, it just seems to be a group to group, or single item to single item issue. Nested groups with the group to group eyedropper application don't seem as fussy as within Illustrator.

Hope this helps. Wonky for sure.

ael00

Participant

this is an obvious omission. Just found this page with google.

I'm in the transition phase from switching over to Illustrator from CorelDraw and this has been bugging me for the better part of an hour. Why the eyedropper tool is not interactable with the gradient tool directly is beyond comprehension, it is a standard feature in just about any image editing software I can think of (raster or vector).

chucksing

Participant

http://http://formattc.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/how-to-edit-a-gradient-with-the-eye-dropper-tool-in-illustrator/

This worked for me when looking for a solution to the same original problem.

Kris Hunt

Legend

That is not the same problem. Once again, your method uses the Gradients palette. I already know how to do it that way; I am only talking about the interface you get from within the shape itself while using the Gradient tool. By selecting the Eyedropper tool from the main tool palette, you are no longer using the Gradient tool.

H

harpnutz

Participant

I have the answer... let me see if I can explain it correctly. Arguably this is one of the most frustrating omissions in Illustrator. For some reason the following sequence works:

Create a gradient inside a shape
Create a second color inside your gradient (the middle box down below in the picture)
Change to eye dropper and shift click your desired color (I chose yellow)
The gradient will change to that yellow correctly, however it may not show up correctly inside your shape - now, go slightly adjust this new color box (move it left or right)

At this point the color shows up for me correctly inside my gradient.

What I've learned is that the first and last box in the created gradient are programed to not work with the eyedropper as we would assume it would. However, creating these new internal colors and using shift-click with the eye dropper will. Create as many internal colors as you want and simply remove (delete) those first and last colors and you've done it. I don't now if I described this information correctly, but I just spent the last half our figuring this out. I feel KrisHunt's pain.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Kris,

Larry did use the word, did read and fully understand the question, and did present one step (3, which in itself only helps through straining your memory) in the answer:

The mysterious eyedropper inside gradient object sampling:

1) Beside the gradient, create a Receiving Object in the form of a filled path (it could be a copy, a rectangle with solid colour or gradient, or whatever);

2) With the Receiving Object selected, click to grasp the Eyedropper Tool;

3) Place the dropper on the spot with the colour to sample, Press Shift and then Click;

4) With Shift still pressed, Unclick, and enjoy the solid colour in the Receiving Object.

Hint: the selection in 2).

A

Anonymous

Wade, thank you. You are the only one who made any sense. Other than the largely useless appearance of the eyedropper in the color sampler box you mentioned, it just doesn't seem to be possible to conjure up the eyedropper to sample colors from other shapes in your document. The lack of the eyedropper functionality in the "in-shape gradient editing" (or whatever it's called) seems to be a glaring omission. The only way to adjust the colors precisely is to know the RGB values you need beforehand.

Jacob, you're right—Larry did mention the eyedropper tool once, but you're wrong in saying he understood my question. I almost appreciated his in-depth explanation to an entirely different question I didn't ask. Larry talked about adjusting gradients with the gradients panel and colors panel (I know, I know... they're not called palettes anymore. Old habits). I've been using Illustrator for 15 years; I know how to do that. And your set of steps makes no sense. If I want to adjust the colors of a shape's gradient, the moment I select a receiving object, the gradient controls disappear from the first object.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Kris,

Jacob, you're right—Larry did mention the eyedropper tool once, but you're wrong in saying he understood my question. I almost appreciated his in-depth explanation to an entirely different question I didn't ask. Larry talked about adjusting gradients with the gradients panel and colors panel (I know, I know... they're not called palettes anymore. Old habits). I've been using Illustrator for 15 years; I know how to do that. And your set of steps makes no sense. If I want to adjust the colors of a shape's gradient, the moment I select a receiving object, the gradient controls disappear from the first object.

So, what you wish to do is to pick the colour from some other object and drop it into an object with a gradient, thus changing the gradient, in other words something that corresponds to the insertion of a square with that value in the Color palette (bear with me, I am stil with 10)?

If so, you are right in saying that I was wrong in saying that Larry understood your question, and that was because I did not either. And if so, I believe it would be rather difficult for Illy to guess what you want to do with the rest of the gradient, and therefore something to be best handled in the Gradient palette.

If not, at least I need some more clues to understand the question.

My steps may make sense, although they may not be helpful in this case, when seen as a way to pick the actual colour at a specific spot in an object with a gradient with the purpose of storing its exact values and/or using it elsewhere, which is how I (mis)understood your question.

A

Anonymous

Sometimes there is more than one way to do something. If you can't figure out how to do it one way, then you try another. If this doesn't enable you to solve your problem, then that's unfortunate... maybe it'll help someone else. Sorry if the end result is not what you're after. If you are stuck on doing it one way only, then maybe you'll be SOL because you need to do it a different way. Note to self... be careful who you try to help out, you may get flamed. This is likely my last ever post here... bye.

A

Anonymous

Hi, I came looking for an answer to this very question... but now I have figured out a way to do what you want to do.

1. Select the object you want to make into a gradient and make it so... it'll be the dreaded white to black

2. Select the colour that has the fil that you want to use for one end of the gradient

3. Now Select the gradient and notice that the fill you previously selected is in the "last color" box in the color tab group.

4. Now drag the color from the "last color" box to the gradient color box

5. repeat as necessary... click color, then gradient, then drag the previous colour to the gradient color box.

Hope this helps :-)

A

Anonymous

People. Please do not bother to reply if you're not even going to read the question. I am not asking how to change a gradient with the Gradients palette, or with the Color palette, or any other palette for that matter. In fact, I have stated twice already that the Gradients palette is not involved in this operation. I explained it in words, then I explained it in pictures. And at no point did you even mention the eye dropper tool in your "solution".

W

Wade_Zimmerman1

Inspiring

There does not seem to be a way.

Oops I took another look a the diagram the closest you get is this if you access the color panel from the pop up and the from the gradients panels
drop down select rgb or cmyk.

A

Anonymous

I'm not talking about using the Gradients palette; I said that already. This is the interface I want to use the eyedropper tool with.

Mario Arizmendi

Legend

May be this technique could help you in some way see here the flash video named "GradientPantone.swf" I think is not exactly wat you want but could help..

let me know

zopfan

Known Participant

In response to @Mario Arizmendi), the video/link you sent is no longer working. Though the original poster/asker might not be interested in this solution. Many others were interested in it (but now I've been able to locate this very solution by hit and trial method).

Larry G. Schneider

Community Expert

It's not totally accurate but if you use the Shift key with the eyedropper, you will get the screen color at that point.

zopfan

Known Participant

In response to 2nd or 3rd answer (by @Larry G) Why is it not accurate (as you said), Using shift key for this purpose is fully accurate (though the original asker is not asking for this solution).

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