How to Use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator, which will allow you to sample or "eye drop" any specific colour, gradient, or effect from another image.

You can then apply the sampled colour to another object that you wish to use. This is extremely useful if you want to duplicate colours or effects for your illustrations or designs, such as using the Eyedropper Tool on a stroke in Illustrator.

Fan of video tutorials instead? Don't miss this new video from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel to learn more:

What You'll Need in This Eyedropper Tool Illustrator Tutorial

To follow along with this 'how to use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator' tutorial step by step, you'll need your own version of Adobe Illustrator. We'll also be using stock images from Envato Elements to help us, but feel free to use your own illustration too! Click on the link below to download.

Sailor Cats Cute Kids Logo Template

What Is the Eyedropper Tool?

The Eyedropper Tool allows you to sample a colour, stroke weight, opacity and many other attributes from an object by simply clicking on it. Once sampled, you can then apply the sampled attributes to another object using the Illustrator Eye Dropper tool.

A standard use case for this is if you want to select specific colours from an image and apply them to your own artwork. By doing so, you can create new colour swatches with the sampled colours. Let's learn how to do this in the Eyedropper Tool Illustrator tutorial below:

How to Use the Eyedropper Tool in Adobe Illustrator

Step 1

In this section, we'll learn how to copy a colour in Illustrator. Import the image you want to get the sample colours from into Adobe Illustrator. This can be an image file or another object from a separate Illustrator file. For this example, we will be using the cat character on the left.

We want to sample the colours from the left cat character and apply them to the cat character on the right.

Step 2

Select the object you want to apply the samples to using the Selection Tool (V) or the Direct Selection Tool (A). In this example, we are selecting the light grey area that makes up the majority of the cat character.

Step 3

Click on the Eyedropper Tool (I) and then use it by clicking on the colour you want to sample.

Step 4

The selected object should now have the sampled colour applied to it.

Step 5

Repeat the steps for all the colours you want to apply using the Illustrator Eye Dropper Tool.

How to Use the Eyedropper Tool on Text

Step 1

You can also use the Eyedropper Tool on text. Simply select the text object you want to apply the samples to using the Selection Tool (V) or the Direct Selection Tool (A).

Step 2

Use the Eyedropper Tool (I) and click on the text with the drop shadow to sample it.

Step 3

Both the colour and the drop shadow effect should now be duplicated onto the new text.

Awesome! You're Finished!

Congratulations! And that's how to use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator to sample colours and effects, which can then be applied to your own artwork or text. I hope you found this tutorial helpful and that you've learned some new tips and tricks that you can use for your own projects. See you next time!

Top 5 Graphics From Envato Elements

Now that you know how to copy a colour in Illustrator, why not experiment with some other images? Want to use some graphics for your projects but short on time? Then head on over to Envato Elements, where you can download many different illustrations and designs that you can use. Remember, you can use the Eyedropper Tool on these projects as well! Here are five of my favourites.

Halloween Party (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG)

Cute girl with funny monsters. Halloween party.

October is the month of Halloween! And what better way to celebrate it than this cute vector illustration? Sample the colours of the monsters by using the Adobe Illustrator Eyedropper Tool to change their colour and make the illustration your own.

Illustration of a Colorful Landscape (EPS)

Here is another background illustration compatible with Adobe Illustrator that you can use for your illustration projects. This background image is perfect for those autumn vibes!

Holiday Forest Vector Illustration (AI, EPS, JPG, PNG, SVG)

If you're looking for a colourful character illustration, check out this hiking image! The flat colours are bright and easy to use if you're looking to change them using the Adobe Illustrator Eyedropper Tool.

Spooky Illustration With Pumpkin Heads (EPS, JPG, PNG)

Here's another illustration perfect for the Halloween season! This spooky image is perfect to use for flyers, posters, websites, and more!

7 Night Forest Game Backgrounds (AI, PNG, EPS, SVG)

This pack comes with a set of seven night-time forest backgrounds that you can use for your own projects. These are perfect to experiment on by using the Eyedropper Tool to change their colours. Each background comes with six layers at 1024 x 512 resolution and is fully scalable without any loss of image quality.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial on how to use the Eyedropper Tool in Illustrator. If you'd like to learn more cool Illustrator skills, we've got more tutorials for you: