Eyedropper Pro – Documentation

1. Overview

Eyedropper Pro is a Blender add-on designed to improve color workflow and reference management inside the 3D Viewport.

It allows users to:

• Pick colors from anywhere on the screen (including outside Blender)

• Paste images directly from the clipboard into the scene

• Store and reuse recent colors

• Copy HEX values instantly

The add-on integrates directly into the 3D Viewport Header for quick access.

2. System Requirements

• Blender 5.0+

• Windows (recommended for full screen color picking)

• Optional: mss Python library for improved screen capture performance

For "Images as Planes" mode:

• Enable Blender’s built-in addon:
  Import-Export: Import Images as Planes

3. Installation

Step 1 – Install the Add-on

1. Open Blender

2. Go to: Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install

3. Select the downloaded ZIP file

4. Enable Eyedropper Pro

Step 2 – (Optional but Recommended) Install mss

For better and more reliable full-screen color sampling on Windows:

1. Go to Add-on Preferences

2. Click Install mss

3. Restart Blender

Without mss, the addon will fall back to PIL-based capture.

4. Interface Overview

After enabling the addon, new controls appear in:

3D Viewport → Header

Icons available:

• Eyedropper icon – Pick color inside Blender

• Screen icon – Pick color from anywhere on screen

• Color slot – Shows current picked color

• Copy icon – Copy HEX value

• History icon – Open color history popup

5. Features in Detail

5.1 Viewport Color Picker

Purpose: Pick color from inside Blender.

How to use:

1. Click the Eyedropper icon in the header

2. Click on any visible element inside Blender

3. The selected color is stored in Scene → picked_color

This uses Blender’s native color picking system.

5.2 Screen Color Picker

Purpose: Pick color from anywhere on the screen (browser, other software, reference images).

Shortcut:
Ctrl + Shift + P

How it works:

1. Activating the operator opens a full-screen preview window

2. A live swatch shows the hovered color

3. Left Mouse Button → confirm

4. Right Mouse Button / ESC → cancel

Once confirmed:

• The picked color is stored in Scene.picked_color

• It is automatically added to Color History

Important:

• Currently best supported on Windows

• Requires screen capture permission

• Installing mss improves accuracy and performance

5.3 Paste Image from Clipboard

Shortcut:
Ctrl + Shift + V

Purpose: Paste image directly from clipboard into the 3D scene.

Workflow:

1. Copy an image (web, screenshot tool, design software, etc.)

2. In Blender 3D Viewport press Ctrl + Shift + V

3. The image appears at the 3D Cursor location

Paste Modes

Configured in Add-on Preferences:

Mode 1 – Empty Image

• Creates an Image Empty object

• Lightweight

• Ideal for modeling references

Mode 2 – Images as Planes

• Uses Blender’s built-in mesh plane importer

• Automatically creates a textured plane

• Requires Blender 5.0+

• Requires “Import Images as Planes” enabled

5.4 Color History

The addon stores up to 10 most recent colors.

Features:

• Displayed in popup grid

• Click to reuse

• Copy HEX directly from history

• Clear all history option

Behavior:

• Duplicate consecutive colors are ignored

• Oldest colors are overwritten once limit is reached

5.5 HEX Copy

You can copy HEX from:

• Current picked color

• Any color in history

Format:

#RRGGBB

Copied value is placed into system clipboard.

6. Add-on Preferences

Location:
Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Eyedropper Pro

Options available:

Paste Image Mode

• Empty Image

• Images as Planes

Install mss

• Installs Python library directly into Blender environment

• Recommended for Windows users

7. Keymaps

Default key bindings:

• Ctrl + Shift + V → Paste Image

• Ctrl + Shift + P → Screen Color Picker