Photoshop eyedropper background problem

Posted: 12/27/2007 in category: [FAQs and Tips] [ News] - [Permalink]

This entry has a really long name just for Google. This is a FAQ to fix a stupid issue that I was having with Photoshop CS’s eyedropper tool. The eyedropper tool is used to select colors on your image, normally it puts these selected colors in a box called the “foreground color” then you can use this color to paint and airbrush and fill whatever you want. Well, recently this tool has helpfully been selecting to the “background color” which does nothing unless you’re using the eraser tool (the background color is really useful in other ways but not in this case.)

I had no idea how I made the switch to the wrong color area and I had no idea how to fix it. I tried to search hoping to find a solution but most of what I found didn’t really help or wasn’t clear enough to make me realize that they could help (this is because there are two ways to fix the problem, one for newer versions of Photoshop and one for the old versions, but they are basically the same solution so my eye glazed over the helpful articles.)

I tried to reset my preferences in Photoshop which messed everything up and it fixed the issue for a bit. But when I started having this trouble again I was determined to figure out what the hell was causing it without screwing up my preferences. Here’s what I found presented here as an incredibly long image. I hope this helps people.

Photoshop eyedropper tool trouble.Selecting the color to the background color rather than choosing the foreground color. This is an image. =]

Yay!

// 49 Comments »

49 Responses to “Photoshop eyedropper background problem”

  1. ryan // Jan 11, 2008 at 1:47 PM

    Seriously, thank you SO much. I was puzzled over this issue for the past several days.

    This is SUCH a huge usability problem.

  2. Marian // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:07 PM

    Thank you very much for this tutorial. It really solved my problem with eyedropper :-)
    Marian

  3. Amandah Jordan // Mar 31, 2008 at 11:25 PM

    You have saved me! (and everyone within a 50 mile radius of me). Major, serious Kudos!!!!

  4. drew // Apr 1, 2008 at 8:28 AM

    Thankyou so much!

  5. Kero // May 11, 2008 at 4:27 AM

    TY!!!

  6. .tony. // Jun 20, 2008 at 5:34 PM

    jesus, you just saved my life.
    if you were here right now id buy you coffee, high five you, and then see if you wanted to make out.

    you are the wind beneath my wings

    Diana replies: LOL, I’m glad to be of help. =D

  7. WIm // Jun 25, 2008 at 5:39 AM

    Yup, thanks heaps. I was about to blow a vein there.

  8. thx! stupid adobe // Jun 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM

    finally, thanks for this fix, youd think after 3+ years theyd just stick it in preferences

  9. Allison // Jul 29, 2008 at 6:21 AM

    Wow… Thank you so much. I can not tell you how many times on different computers this has happened to me, and each time I want to kill myself or my machine. Thank you!

  10. $teve // Aug 1, 2008 at 1:01 PM

    thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

    i almost commited suicide

  11. dana banana // Sep 11, 2008 at 3:28 AM

    THANK F***IN GOD!

    Your really clear instructions worked.
    I owe you a couple of drinks.

  12. Brigit // Oct 16, 2008 at 4:18 AM

    Thank you – teaching photoshop and one machine doing this causing havoc to the class!

  13. Andrew // Nov 5, 2008 at 12:37 AM

    Thanks!!! you save me alot of time!

  14. Adam // Jan 12, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    Thanks! I was stumped till I found this post.

  15. jay // Feb 5, 2009 at 2:36 PM

    THANK YOU. thought i was losing my mind.

  16. Merv // Feb 17, 2009 at 5:36 PM

    hey! thank you very much! you’re a big help.

  17. Travis // Mar 17, 2009 at 8:35 PM

    Well your google plan worked, because this page totally came up when I was trying to find a fix for that issue, like woah.

    Nifti!

  18. C. // Apr 3, 2009 at 2:47 PM

    Thank you SO MUCH! I’ve been trying to figure this one out for so long! Your google plan worked. Can I send you a fruitcake or something? Haha.

  19. pedro // May 16, 2009 at 10:54 AM

    u are a legand, its those little things

  20. Valery // May 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM

    Thank you so much, I just didn’t understand what went wrong! Actually, I still don’t know what went wrong, lol, but at least now I can set it right again, thanks!!!

  21. hpindur // Jun 5, 2009 at 11:42 AM

    YOU ARE AWESOME. This article saved me from doing 10-20 in a federal penetentary!!!

  22. Sarah // Jun 11, 2009 at 12:52 PM

    Thank you for keeping me from going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. vickstahs // Jun 12, 2009 at 9:43 PM

    OMG THANKS SO MUCH! I’VE BEEN GOING CRAZY OVER THIS STUPID PROBLEM. It may not seem like a big thing, but damn! It’s irritating! thnks!

  24. Alan // Jul 22, 2009 at 3:42 AM

    Great, thanks for the fix!!!

  25. furiousball // Aug 28, 2009 at 3:20 PM

    i am going to name all of my children after you. thank you for this fix

  26. Fabiano // Sep 4, 2009 at 8:32 AM

    Awesome. Simple fix, but I would never find out without this article. Great help. Thank you!

  27. Rob // Sep 4, 2009 at 2:12 PM

    Awesome! Can’t believe I lived with this problem for so long… I thought I was crazy!

  28. a // Sep 16, 2009 at 3:19 PM

    Ooooh yes, thanks, I was on the verge of commiting homicide…

  29. ham // Sep 20, 2009 at 8:04 AM

    thank you for sharing, I’m gonna pray for you to the get laid god as a thank you.

  30. Noelle // Sep 29, 2009 at 1:01 PM

    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! its been driving me nuts!

  31. Helen // Oct 5, 2009 at 8:17 AM

    THANK YOU-thankyou-thankyou! You have no idea how this has been bugging me! Plus, I’m surrounded by photoshop uber experts and NOBODY has been able to help! Kudos, compliments, good karma and much more for you :)

  32. Rachael // Oct 7, 2009 at 10:16 PM

    You have no idea how much this has helped me. Such an easy fix. I feel like an idiot for not knowing how to fix it. Thankyou so much!

  33. Nick // Oct 13, 2009 at 11:26 AM

    Fantastic. Thank you for this solution!

  34. william mccoy // Oct 25, 2009 at 9:32 PM

    mate, u just saved mi life! i was about to rip mi hair off!
    thanks mate!

    cheers

  35. Mimette // Nov 12, 2009 at 6:14 AM

    Oh my god.
    I was just about crying trying to fix this (havent slept in a while on a deadline, you know the deal)

    You just saved me.
    I reinstalled three times to no good.
    Thank you so much.
    You have no idea.
    I swear.

    Thank you thank you thank you

  36. Nrai // Nov 12, 2009 at 6:18 AM

    Man you saved me from a hell of frustration. Thanks!

  37. Chris // Nov 27, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    Got to say thanks – this has been doing my napper in for days!

    I have been using PhotoShop since PS2 (note not CS2!) and didn’t realise this.

    Kudos!

  38. REM // Dec 31, 2009 at 5:10 PM

    HAAAAAAAAAAAALELUJAH

  39. Jessa // Dec 31, 2009 at 5:32 PM

    Ahh thank you so much — this worked for cs4 as well :)

  40. porkchop // Jan 21, 2010 at 6:57 PM

    This solution worked, and was a big relief. thanks!

  41. RjBeals // Jan 22, 2010 at 12:31 PM

    ha.. such a little detail caused so many hours of aggrevation. Thanks so much for posting the simple fix.

  42. Bobby // Jan 22, 2010 at 1:22 PM

    Cool, thanks…
    actually I was looking for the other way round:
    I WANTED the eyedropper to select the backgroundcolor and tried all kin of aditional shortcuts together with the alt key…nothing.
    cool that you found the way to paradise
    :-)

  43. Trevor // Jan 28, 2010 at 3:10 PM

    Thank you so much! I don’t think I would hvae ever noticed that black outline on my own.

  44. eli // Feb 1, 2010 at 1:14 PM

    Thank YOU!!! :D

  45. Simon // Feb 2, 2010 at 10:13 AM

    What they said. :-)

  46. soltian // Feb 4, 2010 at 4:56 PM

    SO helpful, you are the best, thank you.

  47. Pao // Mar 4, 2010 at 2:31 AM

    Thanks a lot, I was going crazy!!!

  48. Jason Pamental // Mar 9, 2010 at 8:51 AM

    Thanks! Vexing problem.

    You would think that a design software company might put some greater stock in actual usability. Or at least documentation on how stuff works. Totally agree with your assessment.

    Cheers,

    Jason

  49. Kowalski // Mar 9, 2010 at 11:07 PM

    Dude, you rule! I was so annoyed with this problem i installed another OS and reinstalled PS…

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