You can display the info palette by clicking its tab in the Navigator palette group. The info palette is used to reveal specific data about the image you are currently working with. The kind of information that appears in the palette will vary depending on what tool you are using.

 

If you use the eyedropper tool, colour information and positional coordinates will be displayed for whatever point in the image the eyedropper pointer is over. If you move the eyedropper around an image, the colour and positional information will change accordingly. The positional coordinates are given relative to an x, y coordinate system with the (0, 0) point in the upper left corner of the image (i.e. moving vertically down the image will increase the Y value, moving to the right will increase the X value) If you click on the icon for the x, y position information (which looks like a + sign with a small right pointing arrow head) you will display a menu that allows you to select the type of unit for the position measurements (i.e. pixels, inches centimetres, percent).

 

The colour information is given as RGB (red, green, blue) or CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) values. Don’t worry if these colour terms seem confusing or unfamiliar right now; these colour concepts will be explained in detail in lesson 4.4. For now, think of RGB colour as being composed of different amounts of red, green, and blue light, and think of CMYK colour as being composed of different amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.

 

 

As previously mentioned, the information shown in the info palette depends upon the tool being used. If you use a rectangular marquee tool for instance, the info palette will show the x, y coordinates of the starting point of the selection, as well as the height and width of the selection in what ever units have been specified. This information will also be shown if you use the crop tool. If you use the measure tool, (the ruler icon from the eyedropper tool group in the toolbox), you can measure distances and angles from various points in the image with your mouse, with the data from your measurements displayed in the info palette. Try selecting different tools, and observe the data that is provided in the info palette.

 

If you click on the right pointing arrow at the top right of the palette, and select palette options from the menu, you will see the following dialog box. Here you can change the colour modes for both of the colour readout areas in the info palette, as well as the measuring units used for the position coordinates. Simply make your selections from the drop menus indicated by the arrows, and press OK when you are finished.

 

These configuration options are also available by clicking on the information icons in the info palette (i.e. the eyedropper icon for colour, and the + sign icon for position).