Photoshop Elements / Basic Swatches

Swatches are groups, or libraries, of colors.

They're located in the Color Swatches palette in the palette bin.

If you don't see the Color Swatches palette, go to Window > Color Swatches.

Photoshop Elements comes with several swatch libraries.

Taking Colors from a

You can select the foreground color by clicking on a color swatch.

If you're using the Eyedropper tool, you can select the background color by pressing and holding Ctrl, and clicking on a color swatch.

You can add colors to a color swatch library.

Select a color with the Eyedropper tool, and move the cursor over the color swatch library.

The cursor will change to a paint bucket icon.

Click.

You can also click the Create a new color swatch icon at the bottom of the color swatches palette.

If you add colors to an existing color swatch library, the colors are deleted when you close Photoshop Elements.

You must save the color swatch library.

Click More at the top of the Color Swatches palette, and select Save Swatches.

Select the name of the color swatches library, and click Save.

To delete a color swatch, press and hold Alt, and place the cursor over the color swatch.

The cursor will change to a scissors.

Click.

You can also click and hold the color swatch, and drag it to the trash can icon at the bottom of the Color Swatches palette.

You can download swatch libraries, such as Burning & Dodging Swatches.

You can create a color swatch library from color tables.