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. =]](http://www.ghostcircles.com/dxs/pic/07-Eyedopper-fix-cs.jpg "Photoshop eyedropper tool trouble.Selecting the color to the background color rather than choosing the foreground color. This is an image. =]")
Yay!
Seriously, thank you SO much. I was puzzled over this issue for the past several days.
This is SUCH a huge usability problem.
Thank you very much for this tutorial. It really solved my problem with eyedropper :-)
Marian
You have saved me! (and everyone within a 50 mile radius of me). Major, serious Kudos!!!!
Thankyou so much!
TY!!!
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
Yup, thanks heaps. I was about to blow a vein there.
finally, thanks for this fix, youd think after 3+ years theyd just stick it in preferences
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!
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
THANK F***IN GOD!
Your really clear instructions worked.
I owe you a couple of drinks.
Thank you – teaching photoshop and one machine doing this causing havoc to the class!
Thanks!!! you save me alot of time!
Thanks! I was stumped till I found this post.
THANK YOU. thought i was losing my mind.
hey! thank you very much! you’re a big help.
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!
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.
u are a legand, its those little things
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!!!
YOU ARE AWESOME. This article saved me from doing 10-20 in a federal penetentary!!!
Thank you for keeping me from going crazy!!!!!!!!!!!
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!
Great, thanks for the fix!!!
i am going to name all of my children after you. thank you for this fix
Awesome. Simple fix, but I would never find out without this article. Great help. Thank you!
Awesome! Can’t believe I lived with this problem for so long… I thought I was crazy!
Ooooh yes, thanks, I was on the verge of commiting homicide…
thank you for sharing, I’m gonna pray for you to the get laid god as a thank you.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! its been driving me nuts!
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 :)
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!
Fantastic. Thank you for this solution!
mate, u just saved mi life! i was about to rip mi hair off!
thanks mate!
cheers
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
Man you saved me from a hell of frustration. Thanks!
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!
HAAAAAAAAAAAALELUJAH
Ahh thank you so much — this worked for cs4 as well :)
—awesum….. was breakin ma head for the last 6 hrs….. thanks a lot….—
This solution worked, and was a big relief. thanks!
ha.. such a little detail caused so many hours of aggrevation. Thanks so much for posting the simple fix.
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
:-)
Thank you so much! I don’t think I would hvae ever noticed that black outline on my own.
Thank YOU!!! :D
What they said. :-)
SO helpful, you are the best, thank you.
Gracias muchos!
Thanks a lot, I was going crazy!!!
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