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Sampling colors outside of AE ignores everything but desktop BG
I’m trying to sample colors from a storyboard to bring them into After Effects. Whenever I try to do this, the eye dropper tool returns the colors on my desktop background as though there weren’t a window with the color I want to sample beneath my cursor.
After some experimentation, it seems like it is 100% ignoring all windows, desktop icons, and tray icons. The only thing that it will actually see is AE windows and undocked panels. Has anyone else had this problem? I can’t find anything on google about it, and it is quite frustrating to have to sample colors in other programs so I can copy their HEX code back to AE.
I am on Mac, and haven’t had this problem elsewhere.
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11 Replies
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Are you seeing the incorrect colors in the info panel or is it just when you click to grab the color?
If it’s only when you click, try pressing Enter (or is it Return on Macs?) – anyway, that big-ish button to the right on your keyboard is what you need to hit to commit the color instead of clicking. At least, that’s what’s worked for me.
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Nope, the sample box itself doesn’t even perceive any non desktop background colors. If I scrub the eye dropper over anything, the color box updates in real time like one would expect, although it only grabs the colors from my desktop and not any windows which are actually below my cursor. A way to describe it would be to think of it like layers.
Normally one would expect something like this:
Top Layer (Eye Dropper looking to lower layers)
Middle layer (Windows)
Bottom layer (Desktop Background)
However, my issue looks more like this:
Top Layer (Windows)
Middle layer (Eye Dropper looking to lower layers)
Bottom layer (Desktop Background)
The eye dropper can’t see anything on the “Layers” above it.
So in Short, everything is working as it should except that the eye dropper just doesn’t seem to realize there’s something underneath it.
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This might just be a stab in the dark, but it sounds to me like it’s a gpu/display layer issue. I had them a lot on macos.
I guess you’ve tried it already, but just in case – it usually helps to restart, either the application and if that doesn’t help, the computer. -
This issue definitely feels like a layer stacking issue where the Eyedropper, instead of being on the top layer looking down, is on the bottom layer looking down. I’m fairly certain I’ve tried restarting the computer, but I will try again. Also, now that you have me thinking about it, this IS a new computer I’m working on since my old one got replaced. That means there’s a chance there’s new issues related to my new machine I’m not aware of.
What kinds of issues did you have with the gpu/display layer issues? How did you solve those if you think they’re similar.
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There was a whole bunch of issues on macos, after 11 years of mac I switched back to pc just to discover there’s very similar issues.?
My biggest problems were with Maya, which is notoriously incompatible with macos, when I cmd+tab switches between applications back to Maya the windows changed order and stuff like that. Annoying stuff, but your issue is more of an actual problem than just pure annoying.
Continuing on the gpu (layer stack) line, is your gpu driver up to date?
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Yep, I’m fairly sure it’s up to date. I also updated my mac to the most recent updates and the problem still persists.
There’s also a primal fear in the back of my mind whenever I hear someone saying it might be a driver issue. Drivers are the computer problem that is most likely to make me want to tear my hair out.
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The Eyedropper has always had problems, I’ve even had it not working WITHIN After Effects in some versions of the app.
The easy fix though, when it’s not working, is to click the mouse down on a region of the screen where it does work (like the composition viewer window), and while the mousebutton is held down, move the pointer to the place you want to sample, then release the mouse.
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GOOD NEWS!!!
I fixed it. So, this is one of the weirdest fixes I’ve had to do. Apparently it is a security issue. After Effects doesn’t have permission to “record this screen”. So here’s how I fixed it:
System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy
On the right hand side of the window there will be a list of applications with checkboxes next to them with the text “Allow the apps below to record the contents of your screen, even while using other apps.” Check the box next to After Effects (And any other adobe applications that you want to sample external colors with), and you’re set. You should be able to sample outside colors once again.
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Well, that’s a new one to add to the troubleshooting toolkit…
Thanks for sharing what worked!
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Good Find Ryan,
What version of Mac OS is this ? I don’t see that particular privacy setting on Mojave
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