Matching the Exact Right Color

[TheGreatSatan]

This is a pic of my desktop:

http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/desktop.jpg

It's my daughters playing in Lake Michigan. I change the desktop picture every couple weeks or so. When the picture doesn't extend to the very edges I like to try my best to match the color, but it's never right. Is there a program or something that I can hover my mouse over or select a region to get the exact colors in the Windows Backround control panel?

The Hue, Sat, Lum and RGB.

http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp143/TheGreatSatan/desktop1.jpg

[OvRiDe]

If you have Photoshop you can pull the picture in and then use the eyedropper tool to select the color from the photo. Once you have selected the color, you can then see what the values are.

Another solution would be to just open up a new photoshop image, and set the dimensions to the size of your desktop. Paste the picture in the new workspace. Create a background layer and then use the fill bucket to fill in the sides with the color you get from the eyedropper tool. Then just save it as a jpg and then use the new picture as your desktop, and it won't matter what the windows background color is set to.

[TheGreatSatan]

I do have photoshop. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. :)

[OvRiDe]

Well if you want to get creative with gradients.. you could do something like this.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/ovride/images/misc/TGS-desktop.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

That's Kick Ass! It won't let me +rep you twice!

[Zephik]

That's Kick Ass! It won't let me +rep you twice!

Its okay, I covered your second one. ^_^

I laughed when I saw the picture, it was so.. duh? I'm surprised that wasn't my first thought to use a gradient. lol

Another option would be to open it up in paint and spend some time copying and pasting selected areas of the ocean until it looks like one big picture.

[.Maleficus.]

Well if you want to get creative with gradients.. you could do something like this.

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/ovride/images/misc/TGS-desktop.jpg
You could even go one step further and use the Clone Stamp tool to replicate the actual water along the blank sides.

[noopypoop]

You could even go one step further and use the Clone Stamp tool to replicate the actual water along the blank sides.

You mean like this ?


http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8818/21014513xs2.jpg

:D

[TheGreatSatan]

That is insane! +Rep

[killergamer]

Noopy you need to make a tut on that! I wanna how you can get it that nice. +Rep for sho

[.Maleficus.]

That's exactly what I meant! Looks great noopy, +rep!

[TheGreatSatan]

Photshop tutorials would be awesome. I own it and don't have a clue on how to use it.

[Zephik]

Photoshop tutorials would be awesome. I own it and don't have a clue on how to use it.

Yes they would be!

I used it in the past, spent about a week trying to figure it out, then decided that I'd rather just use MS Paint. lol

[noopypoop]

If you want tutorials I wouldn't be the greatest person to ask, but I learned from sites like :

http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/photoshop


http://www.photoshoptalent.com/ (This one you can actually win contests by dong practice contests of different tutorials)


http://abduzeedo.com/tutorials (These are VERY hard to do. I recommend learning how to use Photoshop first before using any of these)



Just pick a Tutorial that seems interesting then do it. Keep doing this and eventually you'll learn what the filters, layer styles ,brushes etc. do and you'll be able to fend for yourself. =)

[Cymae]

For a simple color picker (what it's called when you select colors off desktop), try these (the second one is excellent):

http://www.iconico.com/colorpic/

http://www.cosmin.com/colordetector/

Not as fancy as photoshop, but it won't take you 3 hours to find everything either ;)