Picker always samples for background colour...?

[LozoKrak]

Hi,

Probably a simple fix

but I'm on someone else's computer

so some of the PS settings are different

than mine.

I try to use the colour picker to get colour

in the foreground box, but it always automatically

goes to the background box.

Can someone tell me how to fix this please?
CS4

thanks

[Lucien_Schilling]

Hm, pushing the <Alt> key puts the colour to the background.

[LozoKrak]

Hello,

and in my case, holding ALT selects for the foreground colour!

It's backwards and it's irritating to work with...

Help?

[Lucien_Schilling]

Other comands work correctly?

[LozoKrak]

Now that you mention it, if I click my mouse button to zoom,

an Explorer page with PS Help pops up over and over.

Also really annoying!

Should I reset PS or the tools, you think?

If so, how?

Thanks

[Lucien_Schilling]

Reboot the computer! Either there is a Keyboard error (Keybord ALT is locked), or Photoshop thinks the ALT is locked. Clicking the swatches brings up the colour chooser!

[LozoKrak]

Rebooted, but still same issue with colour picker!

Ugh

[Guest]

Are you using the eyedropper tool and it sets the background color or

it sets the background color when click on the foreground swatch at the

bottom of the toolbox to bring up the color picker?

MTSTUNER

[LozoKrak]

When I use the eye dropper to sample a colour, that colour then

sets the background colour.

If I use ALT, with dropper, it sets foreground... which is opposite

of what should be happening.

Quite strange.

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Unless you have a stuck alt key or something, then the color choosen 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 photshop preferences might set things straight.

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

asking to delete the photoshop settings file and click Yes.

MTSTUNER

[Lucien_Schilling]

Window->colour or F6: I can confirm this. Never used that feature to confuse me!   Pressing ALT inverses so selects the foreground.

[JooYoungChoi]

Usually it does, but if your settings have some how been switched in the color panel, it'll do the opposite. I have no idea how on earth I switched them up, but until I fixed it, I had to press alt everytime to get it to go into the foreground color box. When I figured it out, it was a told face slap, geez, why didn't i figure this out earlier moment ^_^

[default7h3jlyxb40j2]

How'd u fix it?

[Geskus Studios 3]

True answer for OP's question

[Guest · Accepted solution]

In the color panel make the foreground swatch the active one by clicking on it.

MTSTUNER

[LozoKrak]

It is the active one, but no matter what, when i use the picker, the background colour changes.

ALT click changes foreground... but should be reversed.

[rickyharris]

Thank you MTSTUNER was so frustrating before.

[jimrob1515]

OMG... thank you, this was KILLING ME

[Studio Don Quixote]

Thank you MTSTUNER! It saved my life!

____________________________________

my works

[dan@poorboywoodworks.com]

ty mtstuner, that was it. much appreciated.

[shellyavner]

Bless your soul

[Rio5EFE]

AMAZING! 2021 here

[Oxydozyga]

A decade later, this comment is still saving lives. Thanks!!

[Noel Carboni]

MTSTUNER is right, though it may not be exactly clear what you have to do:

• In Photoshop, choose Window - Color.
• Note the two little squares to the upper-left.
• Click on the foreground (upper-left) square, so that the outline is darkened.
• From here on, unmodified color picking tools will update the foreground color.

-Noel

[rkdp2008]

This solved my issue also (7 years later)!

Thx