- There are some tools that are not used to directly apply color to the canvas, but which support the application of color tremendously. And one of these tools is the Eyedropper tool. So, if I have a couple of different colors on the canvas, and, let me just paint a few swatches here, I can use the Eyedropper tool, which we find here in the tool palette, to pick a color from the canvas.
And when we click with the Eyedropper tool on the canvas, the color that we find there is automatically loaded into our foreground color selection. If I hold for a moment my mouse button, you can see that the color that is going to be picked is shown in the circle in the upper part, and the color that is still active is shown in the lower part, so that you can compare the two colors. And if I picked my color from the canvas, I can go back to my Brush tool and use it to apply paint.
And it would be a little bit cumbersome if I had to change between the Eyedropper and the Brush tool all the time, and that's the reason why there's a very handy shortcut for the Eyedropper tool, and it is the "alt" key. If you are using one of the paint application tools, namely the Brush, the Gradient tool, or the Paint Bucket tool, you can press and hold the "alt" key. And this changes your cursor to the Eyedropper.
You can pick your color, release the "alt" key, and you return directly to your paint application tool, in this case, the Brush tool. And that way, you can very quickly pick a color and paint with it, or use it with any other paint application tool. The "alt" key is one of the most important shortcuts for digital painting. It's sitting right next to the space bar, which is also very important.
We remember it activates the hand tool. And it's a very common technique to have the left hand rested on the "alt" key to be able to pick a color at anytime, and you can also quickly switch to the space bar to move your canvas around. So, if you see people painting in Photoshop, you will note that they very often have the left hand on the keyboard, the thumb resting on the "alt" key to pick the color, and, occasionally, switching over to the space bar to move the canvas around.
Author
Released
7/2/2015- Setting up your digital canvas
- Controlling the screen
- Choosing color
- Working with brushes, textures, and the Paint Bucket and Gradient tools
- Making selections
- Working in Quick Mask mode
- Stroking and filling paths
- Manipulating color
- Organizing the canvas with layers
- Digital drawing and painting projects
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome58s
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1. Setting the Digital Canvas
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Size in centimeter or inches2m 42s
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Size in pixels2m 32s
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More settings2m 18s
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2. Control of the Digital Screen
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Zoom and Hand tools5m 50s
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Rotate View tool1m 6s
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A second view2m 38s
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Summary1m 7s
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3. Tools for Choosing Color
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Color picker8m 42s
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Color palette1m 23s
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Swatches palette1m 5s
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4. Tools for the Application of Color
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Brush Tip Shape5m 36s
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Shape Dynamics5m 18s
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Scattering1m 37s
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Texture2m 10s
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Dual Brush1m 54s
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Color Dynamics5m 31s
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Transfer3m 15s
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Fade2m 21s
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Custom brush tips4m 55s
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Paint Bucket2m 4s
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Gradient4m 9s
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Blend modes5m 53s
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5. Supporting Tools
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Marquee tool4m 19s
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Lasso tool2m 47s
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Quick Mask mode4m 41s
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Adding a stroke to paths2m 24s
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Filling a path2m 57s
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6. Manipulating Color
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Hue/Saturation2m 18s
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Curves4m 1s
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Color Balance3m 14s
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7. Organizing the Digital Canvas
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Painting on separate layers2m 36s
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Locking transparent pixels2m 53s
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Group layers2m 27s
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Eraser tool1m 16s
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Layer masks3m 38s
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8. Digital Drawing
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Perspective Grid7m 23s
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Rough sketch4m 27s
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Final Drawing: Part 13m 3s
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Final Drawing: Part 24m 33s
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Final Drawing: Part 34m 55s
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9. Colored, Digital Drawing
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Rough sketch5m 15s
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Final Drawing: Part 13m 25s
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Final Drawing: Part 22m 32s
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Shading in grayscales3m 47s
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Using coloring layers4m 33s
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Finishing touches8m 48s
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10. Digital Painting
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Color composition7m 5s
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Rough sketch6m 2s
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Painting the midground5m 33s
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Painting the palace6m 30s
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Painting the far background5m 54s
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Conclusion
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Video: Eyedropper tool