### 5.4. Color Picker

The Color Picker Tool is used to select a color on any image opened on your screen. By clicking a point on an image, you can change the active color to that which is located under the pointer. By default, the tool works on the active layer, but the Sample merged option lets you grab the color as a composite from all visible layers. Only colors in visible layers are used. A Color Picker Information window opens when you click on the image.

#### 5.4.1. Activating the Tool

There are different possibilities to activate the tool:

- From the main menu: Tools → Color Picker..

- By clicking the tool icon in the Toolbox.

- By pressing the O keyboard shortcut.

- By pressing the Ctrl key while using a paint tool. The Color-picker dialog is not opened during this operation and the tool remains unchanged after releasing the key. Nevertheless, you can get information by using the Pointer window.

#### 5.4.2. Key modifiers

Ctrl

  Ctrl does nothing here. But, when using a paint tool, pressing Ctrl allows you to pick colors without having to switch to Color Picker tool.

Shift

  If the Use info window (Shift) option is not checked, pressing the Shift key when you click on a pixel opens the Color Picker Information window.

  | Note
  The Pointer Information gives you the same information permanently. Note that it defaults to Sample merged.

#### 5.4.3. Options

Figure 14.137. Tool Options Dialog

Normally, tool options are displayed in a window attached under the Toolbox as soon as you activate a tool. If they are not, you can access them from the main menu through Windows → Dockable Windows → Tool Options which opens the option window of the selected tool. The available tool options can also be accessed by double clicking the corresponding tool icon in the Toolbox.

Sample average

  The Radius slider adjusts the size of the square area that is used to determine an average color for the final selection. When you keep clicking the layer, the mouse pointer shows the size of the square or radius.

Sample merged

  If you enable this option, sampling is not calculated only from the values of the active layer, but from all visible layers.

  For more information, see the Glossary entry.

Pick Target (Ctrl)
  Pick only

    The color of the selected pixel will be shown in an Information Dialog, but not otherwise used.

  Set foreground color

    The Foreground color, as shown in the Color Area of the Toolbox, will be set to the color of the pixel you click on.

  Set background color

    The Background color, as shown in the Color Area of the Toolbox, will be set to the color of the pixel you click on.

  Add to palette

    When this option box is checked, the picked color is sent to the active color palette. See Palette Editor.

Use info window (Shift)

  When this option is checked, the information window is opened automatically. The Shift key allows you to toggle this possibility temporarily.

  Figure 14.138. Color Picker Information Window

5.3. Text |  | 5.5. Measure

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