Requested always display #RGB value of selected color, while using color-picker tool

[psydev]

When I am using Irfanview, I often use the color-picker tool (Eyedropper), in order to see which colors I am looking at. Identifying which color I just selected is currently quite slow, however. It would be a great improvement if instead it would always display the currently selected color's #RRGGBB value. If you think it shouldn't display this value all the time, then at the very least, it should display it somehow when using the color-picker tool. (An alternative option would be to display the color's #rgb value when the user holds down the mouse button on a pixel with the color-picker tool).

The reason this is needed:
The reason this would be very time-saving is that when you are inspecting an image with the color-picker, you often want to quickly click on the the different colors which are there, to learn what they are. Having to do extra clicks every time you want to identify a color is many times slower. With Irfanview, it normally takes a while to determine the #rgb value of the currently selected color. this is because when you click on the color box, it just takes you to a windows dialog with limited information. If you then click on "define custom colors", it does give you some more information but the color values are never expressed in #RGB format which is what people usually need.
It would be very helpful and useful--as well as much faster--if the #rgb value of the color was simply always displayed so that no extra clicking is necessary. I hope you can help me with this!

Thank you very much.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

Do you know that you can identify a pixel's colour by clicking with the pointer tool? The RGM and hex values are shown in the title bar.

[psydev]

Do you know that you can identify a pixel's colour by clicking with the pointer tool? The RGM and hex values are shown in the title bar.

No I didn't, but I find that this feature is still not good enough. It's not easy to use for my purposes of scanning the image for colors, because it only temporarily display the value, and displays it in the program header. This requires you to hold down the button, and then avert your eyes while you keep it held down, and then go back to looking at the color that you had been looking at. It would be best if it would always display the value of the selected color in the color box--at the very least when mouseover-ing with the color-picked (eyedropper) tool.
Another problem with this feature is that if you use the pointer tool to scan colors, and click too frequently from one pixel to the next, a double-click will make the window go fullscreen while you're working which is annoying, especially while you are zoomed in on a picture. This is bad for productivity.
Another issue with it is that you cannot hold the mouse button down and move the cursor from one color to another, or else it will stop displaying that color's #rgb value in the header. Instead it will start selecting an area. You have to keep clicking, holding and releasing, to go from one color to the next. Having to hold down the mouse on a pixel while moving your eyes away and hoping your hand doesn't move the cursor to another pixel while you're not looking is awkward.

A better way to implement this pointer-tool feature would be if the color-picker tool would display the #RGB color value when doing a mouseover of a pixel. It could do this in the title bar of the program, the same way the pointer does, except without the need to click. When no clicking and holding is required, it is much easier, and isn't such a clunky action requiring you to avert your eyes and quickly check the title bar of the program before you release the mouse button. This UI as it is feels really awkward to me.

But I think it would be best if it would simply always display the #rgb value of the currently seelcted color, beneath the color selection box.


-psydev

[Mij]

You really do not need tools like this built into Irfanview. All you are doing is looking at the color of the pixels that Irfanview has put onto the screen. There are plenty of Screen tools that you can use to do that.

I use Picpick which is ideal for what you are doing. Like Irfanview it is free for personal use and works very well in conjunction with Irfanview and most other applications. I have it set to load automatically when Windows starts up and minimize to the system tray where all its tools are instantly available with a click on the icon there. All my screen captures are done with its capture tool which I find much more convenient to use than the one provided by Irfanview.

The color picker tool has a small magnified window showing an image of the region near the cursor so that you can see exactly which pixel the mouse is over. It constantly displays the R,G,B values of the pixel as you move the cursor around and if you click on one it opens a color box to show more details, just like you requested, and it can be used equally effectively whether or not the IrfanPaint plugin is in use.
I find several other screen tools that it offers are equally useful when used in conjunction with Irfanview.

Irfanview is an excellent Image browser, a surprisingly good Image editor too and lots more. It really does not need to be burdened with Screen monitoring tools that other programs do far better.

[psydev]

You really do not need tools like this built into Irfanview. All you are doing is looking at the color of the pixels that Irfanview has put onto the screen. There are plenty of Screen tools that you can use to do that.

I am simply asking for:
- Display the #RGB value of a color in the taskbar, in the same way that it is displayed when using the pointer tool, when doing a mouseover with the color picker tool.

I am not asking for much. I am not asking for a "new tool" that will burden Irfanview with excessive, clunky features.
I am not simply "looking at the color of pixels". I am doing editing work, of which scanning pixels is one of the tasks I do. It would facilitate things for me if something like this existed. It's not going to burden the program with excess features--it is a very simple addition.

But, my second request, if possible, is:
- Simply having the #RGB value of the currently selected color always displayed, beneath the color box.

Yes, this is a different feature, but it's not an unreasonable request.

I would be happy with simply having the first feature implemented.
Thank you,

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The colour-picker tool is part of the IrfanPaint plugin, and the developer of that has moved on to other things now.

I agree with Mij on both points. Its easier to use a dedicated screen capture tool for taking screen shots and picking colours. I use a registered version of FastStone Capture 7.3, but the free version 5.3 is adequate for most users.

[GKA]

Thank you Mij !! Your hint about PicPick was very usefull. I have just installed it and I love it. There is really no need to implement the color-picking feature in IrfanView.

[psydev]

What the heck do I need a dedicated screen shot app for?? (And a shareware one?) I do editing of graphics for video games, and I need to know what colors of the palette are used in an imagequickly and easily--while doing editing in irfanview. There is the fast way to do it, and the clunky way. Opening up a separate tool is not better.

It's a very simple feature request, and one that is already half-implemented: show the color that is mouse-over'd while using the color picker tool. You can use the exact same code which is used when the pointer tool tells you the same information. Simple feature--but a very time-saving one for people like me, and a much smoother UI.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

The fast way to do it is to install a dedicated screen capture utility (freeware or shareware if you need more features) that loads on Windows startup and is always available just like PrintScreen is always available.



The clunky way to do it is to edit the open source code for IrfanPaint to implement just this one extra little feature, then have to open IrfanView then IrfanPaint to pick a colour from the screen.