Picked colours automatically are background colours, but I want them to be foreground colours, why??

[Mirustrate]

Sorry for maybe not being clear enough, because my English isn't that good, but here's my problem:

Yesterday I was working in Photoshop and all of the sudden when I picked a colour (through the dropper or in the swatches panel, didn't make a difference), instead of the picked colour automaticcaly being the foreground colour (don't know if that's the correct word), it transferred as the background colour.

Of course I could just switch them, but when I pick a new colour, the same problem occured. So every time I want to paint in a certain colour I have to switch the background/foreground colour.  I don't understand what I did or what I should do to solve this. Because I just want to have a picked colour immediately be the foreground colour.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

In the Color Panel (Window > Color) which is selected, the Foreground or the Background Color? 

Please post a screenshot including all pertinent Panels. 

[Mirustrate]

I just selected the green colour, you see that it is set as background colour. I have to change it to foreground colour now.

[Mirustrate]

Sorry, this is the one with the drop down menu 'window > colour' (it's in Dutch)

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Hi

Open the Color panel and click here :

Dave

[Mirustrate]

Aaaaah, Thanx! I think this just solved it! Such a simple solution, oh my God! I was clicking it in the more left part and that didn't work.

[davescm]

You're welcome 🙂

[Muqqarib Hassan]

Hi, 

the color chosen by the eyedropper (foreground/background) is determined by which swatch is

active in the color panel. The active swatch should have a black square around it.

If all else fails, resetting the photoshop preferences might set things straight.

Hold down the Shift+Alt+Ctrl keys while starting photoshop until you get a dialogue

asking to delete the Photoshop settings file and click Yes.

OR Go to Edit>Preferences>General > and rest photoshop preferences.

[TMTI user 1]

This has been bugging me for ages! I seldom if ever use the colour panel, I just use the direct colour pickers for where I'm working.