Eye Dropper Tool and Painting from The Screen

[patindaytona]

Nolan, I started painting a little of the lotus flower today. I had used the eye dropper tool in photoshop to show the colors, but when I started painted the thing, it all seems so off. Do you go the the eye dropper color chosen, or do you just paint by looking at the photo on the screen? I think I made a big mistake choosing colors with e.d. tool. Now, I have to continue even though the colors look pretty off. I will let it dry till I'm back from Key West and maybe I can do something with thin layers of color adjustments (paint). Pretty disappointed.

[anita]

Hi Pat

I remember I used to touch up photos quite a bit and the paintdropper tool is only useful if you seriously magnify your image ...  the colour will vary a lot over even a small area.  I think you are much better judging the 'overall' colour that your eye sees yourself and painting with that IMO.

Anita

[nolan]

When choosing colours with the eye dropper, don't just click, but drag a box in a similar coloured area. That will give you the average colour for that area.

By just clicking you are given the colour in that one single pixel, which you will see if you zoom in as far you can, can vary quite a bit in a similar coloured area.

[patindaytona]

Anita, I've been there too touching up photos.  It really does seem best to eyeball the image. I have a better FEEL for the color that way rather than depending on what goes down from the eyedropper and hope it'll end up correct. I have a long ways on this one.
Nolan....I saw that you did that in the video, but I tried and the eye dropper isn't cooperating with that drag and select.

[nolan]

maybe Photoshop doesn't offer that feature 

[patindaytona]

Ok, I see it does. You can select a 3 x 3 or a 5 x 5 area average. You don't need to make a marquee. It'll do it automatically with the "point".