Color picking options

[drstir]

Sorry to ask a question that's probably been asked a thousand times on here, but can anyone recommend a good color picker - to get the rgb/hex values of a pixel?

I'd also be grateful for any advice on how I'd go about it in Photoshop. Last time I just opened a screengrab, and used the picker tool. But that's a bit long-winded. I'm sure there used to be a tool within Adobe that did it. But I can't find it anywhere.

Must be an age thing...

[KShinabery212]

I mean what are you trying to do first?

If you are trying to pull Coca-Cola red from a photo... then forget it.  You need to find the hex color online. 

That is just an example.

Or are you just trying to find a nice color selection? If so then use Adobe Capture with the image on your phone.

Let us know and then we can give you some ideas.

[drstir]

It's the first I'm trying to do. There used to be a desktop app that would allow you magnify over anything on your desktop and it would identify the colour values. Seems to have vanished without trace.

[melissapiccone]

I remember that - from the mid 90's, lol. Have no idea what it was called and no idea if there is something else out there. Just take a screenshot and bring it into PS and use the color picker. 

[drstir]

It's an example of technology going backwards 🙂

[Warren Heaton]

Do you mean something other than the Eyedropper Tool?

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/tool-techniques/eyedropper-tool.html

The Info panel shows a First Color Readout and a Second Color Readout.  They default to RGB and CMYK, but you can go into the Panel Options and change that.  You might want RGB and Web Color.  This will display the pixel color values as you hover in the Info panel.

[drstir]

Thanks for the response. But I'm trying to capture the colour values of pixels outside of Phoptoshop - on my Mac desktop. And the eye dropper doesn't seem able to do that. Unless I'm missing something obvious...

[TheDigitalDog]

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@drstir wrote:

Thanks for the response. But I'm trying to capture the colour values of pixels outside of Phoptoshop - on my Mac desktop. And the eye dropper doesn't seem able to do that. Unless I'm missing something obvious...

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You can't do that (correctly). You need a color managed application that examines the pixel in a defined color space. 

There is the Apple Digital Color Meter that some believe does this; it does not. 

Apple's Digital Color Meter utility** or similar to 'measure' color, it can't tell you anything about the actual color numbers of documents inside say Photoshop. 

**This is not measuring anything. It is taking two or three bits of information:
1. The color that an app is actually outputting to a pixel. i.e. an RGB level.
2. The colorspace that the app says should be used for that pixel for ColorSync to correctly display it (defaults to sRGB if the app doesn't specify).
3. The ICC profile associated with the display.

For this reason, a mismatch in numbers is expected. 

Take the pixel you wish inside Photoshop, hopefully it has a defined color space. Use the Eyedropper and set it for 1x1 and you'll get the exact RGB or better, Lab values. If you increase the sampling, it averages the readings (so 5x5 is an average of 25 pixel values). 

[Warren Heaton]

drstir:

Got it.

Change the Color Picker from Adobe to Apple in the General preferences.  The Eye Dropper in the Apple Color Picker can sample from anywhere.

PS Preferences > General > Color Picker set to Apple

PS Eye Dropper in the Apple Color Picker

I think the last time the Adobe Color Picker could do it in Photoshop was back before macOS X came out, but it might have been a little later than that.  The Adobe Color Picker in After Effects kind of still lets you do it, but when you click outside of AE you wind up leaving After Effects without getting the color sampled - so you have to switch to the Apple Color Picker there as well.

-Warren

[TheDigitalDog]

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@drstir wrote:

I'd also be grateful for any advice on how I'd go about it in Photoshop. Last time I just opened a screengrab, and used the picker tool. But that's a bit long-winded. I'm sure there used to be a tool within Adobe that did it. But I can't find it anywhere.

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Make a screen grab. 

ASSIGN  your display profile!

Open in PhotoShop; again, you must. 

Sample value as outlined below. 

[rob day]

to get the rgb/hex values of a pixel?

If you are looking for HEX values, I assume this is for Web/HTML work, so sRGB?

Apple’s Digital Color Meter set to Display in sRGB seems to match Photoshop’s sRGB values. Here my Photoshop Working RGB Space is set to sRGB, so with no document’s open the PS Color Picker RGB values are sRGB. Everything I try matches, here are 2 random samples with matching values:

[drstir · Accepted solution]

Many thanks to everyone who responded. It's much appreciated. I finally managed to find what I was looking for - Apple Color Picker app. God knows why I couldn't find it before!