Select Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Photoshop > Preferences > General (macOS).
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Learn the basics
- Adobe Photoshop on desktop FAQ
- Home screen overview
- Workspace overview
- Access the Discover panel
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Set up toolbars and panels
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- Use Undo and Redo commands
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- Set History Log preferences
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- Paint with image states from the History panel
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- Restore parts of an image to a previous state
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- Generative AI in Photoshop
- Create, open, and import images
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Create and manage layers
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Color adjustment and fill layers
- Adjustment and fill layers overview
- Work with adjustment and fill layers
- Use layer masks to target adjustment or fill layers
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- Adjustment presets overview
- Create custom presets
- Correct color balance with Color and vibrance
- Create fill layers
- Adjustment layer options
- Change adjustment and fill layer options
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Apply layer effects
- Add layer styles
- Work with preset styles
- Layer style effects and options overview
- Manage preset styles
- Display or hide layer styles
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- Import preset style libraries
- Manage contours
- Set a global lighting angle for all layers
- Scale layer effects
- Remove layer effects
- Work with layer styles
- Convert layer styles to image layers
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Smart objects
- Smart Objects - overview and benefits
- Create embedded Smart Objects
- Create linked Smart Objects
- Update Linked Smart Objects
- View Linked Smart Object properties
- Embed Linked Smart Objects
- Package and locate linked Smart Objects
- Convert embedded Smart Objects to linked
- Filter the Layers panel by Smart Objects
- Duplicate an embedded Smart Object
- Edit the contents of a Smart Object
- Replace the contents of a Smart Object
- Convert Smart Objects to layers
- Rasterize Smart Objects
- Export the contents of an embedded Smart Object
- Reset Smart Object transforms
- Create layer compositions
- Layout and design tools
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Crop, resize, and transform
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Resize and adjust resolution
- Printed image resolution
- Set image size and resolution
- Resample option in the Image Size dialog
- Monitor resolution and image display size
- File size
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- Resolution specs for printing images
- Preserve visual content when scaling images
- Specify content to protect when scaling
- Resize images
- Resampling options in Photoshop
- Change the pixel dimensions of images
- Change print dimensions and resolution
- Manage image file size
- Resizing parameters in Photoshop
- Crop and straighten
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Resize and adjust resolution
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Make selections
- Get started with selections
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Automatic and color-based selections
- Improve Select Subject and Remove Background results
- Make precise selections using Select People
- Remove objects with Delete and Fill Selection
- Improve hair selections with the Refine Hair tool
- Mask all objects in a layer
- Detect subject using Select Subject
- Paint a selection with Quick Selection tool
- Select areas by color with the Magic Wand tool
- Freehand selections
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Refine and modify selections
- Move a selection or selection border
- Refine your selection and mask
- Hover layer bounds in the Move tool
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- Create multiple copies of a selection within an image
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- Delete or cut selected pixels
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- Inverse selection
- Adjust a selection manually
- Select only an area intersected by other selections
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- Select pixels using anti-aliasing
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- Create masks
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Repair and retouch
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Remove objects and fill space
- Remove background in your images
- Replace background with Generate Background
- Retouch tools overview
- Blend objects and people into any background with Harmonize
- Remove objects with Content-Aware Fill
- Adjust Content-Aware Fill settings
- Tools to fine-tune sampling and fill areas
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Clean and restore images
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- Edit different perspectives in the same image
- Keyboard shortcuts to adjust perspective
- Get started with Photomerge
- Create panoramic images with Photomerge
- Create 360-degree panoramas
- Remove imperfections with the Spot Healing Brush
- Retouch a large area with the Healing Brush tool
- Repair an area with the Patch tool
- Remove red eye in flash photos
- Define an image as a preset pattern
- Erase parts of an image with the Eraser tool
- Auto Erase with the Pencil tool
- Create smoother brush strokes using stroke smoothing
- Change pixels to transparent with the Background Eraser tool
- Remove similar pixels with the Magic Eraser tool
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Remove objects and fill space
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Adjust color
- Color profiles
- Choose colors
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Apply painting techniques
- Fill objects, selections, and layers
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Brushes and presets
- Get started with brush presets
- Display the Brush Settings panel and brush options
- Create a brush tip from an image
- Create a brush and set painting options
- Select a preset brush
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Draw shapes and paths
- Create shapes
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Text and typography
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Effects and filters
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Artistic and stylize filters
- Reshape and distort images with Transform Warp
- Warp a Layer with Cylindrical Transform
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- Distort specific image areas with Puppet Warp
- Overview of Liquify filter
- Overview of distortion tools
- Use Liquify to distort an image
- Freeze or thaw areas
- Work with meshes
- Work with backdrops
- Reconstruct distortions
- Replace the sky in images
- Select and manage sky presets
- Enhance images with generative AI filters
- Neural filters
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Use grids and measurement guides
- Alignment grids and guides
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Add video and animation
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Create animation frames
- Create frame-based animations
- Add frames to animations
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- Unify layer properties in animation frames
- Copy frames with layer properties
- Create frames using tweening
- Manage layer visibility in animation frames
- Specify a delay time in frame animations
- Choose a frame disposal method
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Create animation frames
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Automate tasks
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Save and export
- Save files
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Export files to different formats
- Video and animation export formats
- Enhance animation frames
- Flatten frames into layers
- Export video files or image sequences
- Photoshop file formats overview
- File compression in Photoshop
- Supported file formats in Photoshop
- Image file formats supported in Photoshop
- Export your work using the Quick Export as option
- Fine-tune export settings with Export As
- Export settings and export location preferences
- Export files in different sizes
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Share and collaborate
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Troubleshoot
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Choose a color while painting
Last updated on
Oct 27, 2025
Learn how to use the HUD (heads-up display) color picker to choose colors while painting in Adobe Photoshop.
The HUD (heads-up display) color picker lets you select colors directly in the document window while painting. This gives you real-time context by sampling from your image.
Note
The HUD color picker requires OpenGL to be enabled in Photoshop. If it's disabled, the HUD picker will not appear.
Choose the type of HUD color picker
From the HUD Color Picker menu, select one of the following:
- Hue Strip: Displays a vertical picker.
- Hue Wheel: Displays a circular picker.
Choose a color from the HUD color picker
Select a painting tool from the toolbox, such as the Brush tool, Pencil tool, or Mixer Brush tool.
Hold Shift + Alt + right-click (Windows) or Control + Option + Command (macOS) and select anywhere on the document to open the HUD Color Picker.
Drag in the picker to select a Hue (color) and Shade (tone).
Tip
Press and hold the spacebar to lock the current shade while you change the hue, or vice versa.
To pick a color directly from the image, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to temporarily activate the Eyedropper tool.
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