Corel Painter Help | Sampling colors from images

Sampling colors from images

You can select, or sample, a color from an existing image so that you can apply it to other areas in an image. You can sample a color from one or more selected layers or from all visible layers. By default, you sample a single pixel from the image window. In addition, you can sample pixels from a selected area. When you sample color from an area, Corel Painter averages the colors of pixels in the selected area. You can set the sample area size to 3 × 3, 5 × 5, 11 ×11, 31 × 31, 51 × 51, and 101 × 101 pixels.

To sample a color from an image

1 On the Color Selector in the toolbox, click the Main Color or Additional Color.

2 Click the Dropper tool

in the toolbox.

3 Choose an option from the Sample Size list box on the property bar.

• Point sample — lets you sample the color of a single pixel

• 3 × 3 — lets you sample the average color value in a 3 × 3 pixel area

• 5 × 5 — lets you sample the average color value in a 5 × 5 pixel area

• 11 × 11 — lets you sample the average color value in a 11 × 11 pixel area

• 31 × 31 — lets you sample the average color value in a 31 × 31 pixel area

• 51 × 51 — lets you sample the average color value in a 51 × 51 pixel area

• 101 × 101 — lets you sample the average color value in a 101 × 101 pixel area

4 Choose an option from the Sample list box on the property bar.

• Selected layer(s) — lets you sample a color from the active layer or one or more selected layers

• All Visible Layers — lets you sample a color from all underlying layers that are visible

5 Perform a task from the following table.

To	Do the following
Sample a color from the active layer	Click in the image.
Sample a color from selected layers	Select the layers in the Layers panel and click in the image.
Sample color from all visible layers	Click in the image.

The Dropper tool does not pick up color in areas of transparency; it returns the last color that you sampled.

The Dropper tool picks up visible color only; it cannot be used to select a hidden color.

The Dropper tool works with the Brush, Crop, Pen, Rectangular Shape, Oval Shape, Text, Shape Selection, Scissors, Add Point, Remove Point, Convert Point, and Paint Bucket tools.

You can quickly access the Dropper tool from the toolbox by clicking the Brush tool in the toolbox, and then pressing Option (macOS) or Alt (Windows) or by pressing D on the keyboard.