Double-Click Fill or Stroke in the Tools panel to access the Color Picker dialog box.
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Learn the basics
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Learn the basics
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Use generative AI
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Draw shapes and paths
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Draw shapes
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Modify paths
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Paint and fill
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Learn painting basics
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Apply and edit strokes
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Learn painting basics
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Manage colors
- Learn color basics
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Select and adjust colors
- About selecting colors
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- Select colors using the Color Picker
- Color panel options
- Select colors using the Color panel
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Use swatches
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Modify colors
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Apply transparency and blending
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Design with text
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Work with fonts and scripts
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- About Adobe Asian composers
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Edit and format text
- Character panel overview
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Use special characters and glyphs
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Create and manage artboards
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Organize and manage artboards
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Manage layers
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Automate and visualize data
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Automate actions
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Visualize data
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Automate actions
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Select colors using the Color Picker
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn how to use the Color Picker tool in Illustrator to select, modify, or sample colors for fills and strokes.
The Color Picker tool lets you preview, select, or sample colors for fills and strokes.
Select a color in one of the following ways:
- Select and drag the circular color marker within the Select Color column.
- Drag the color slider or select a color inside the Color spectrum bar
- Enter HSB, RGB, or CMYK values manually in the text boxes.
- Select Color Swatches, and then choose a swatch from the Color Swatches column.
- Select the Color Picker tool and move your cursor to the area you want to sample. A Sampling Ring with a color preview appears. The top half of the ring shows the color that will be sampled, while the bottom half shows the last sampled color. Alternatively, you can also hold Shift with the Eyedropper tool to view the Sampling Ring.
Select OK to apply the selected color to your object.
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