How to Extract Color Palettes in Photoshop

Extracting color palettes from imported photos in Adobe Photoshop is an efficient way to establish a cohesive color scheme for your design projects. This guide outlines the exact, automated steps to pull harmonious color swatches directly from any photograph using Photoshop’s integrated Creative Cloud Libraries engine, eliminating the need to sample individual colors manually.

Method 1: Using the CC Libraries Extraction Tool (Automated)

Photoshop features a native extraction engine powered by Adobe Color that automatically analyzes an image and generates a five-color palette.

  1. Open Your Image: Launch Adobe Photoshop and open the image file from which you want to sample colors (File > Open).
  2. Open the Libraries Panel: Navigate to the top menu and select Window > Libraries to display the Creative Cloud Libraries panel.
  3. Initiate Extraction: In the bottom right corner of the Libraries panel, click the + (Add elements) icon, then click Extract from Image.
  4. Select Color Themes: In the extraction window that appears, ensure the Color Themes tab is selected at the top. The tool will automatically place five sampling points on the image and display the resulting palette.
  5. Adjust the Mood (Optional): Use the Mood drop-down menu on the right side to automatically alter the palette's tone. Options include Colorful, Bright, Muted, Deep, Dark, or None.
  6. Save the Palette: Click the Save to CC Libraries button in the bottom right corner. The color theme is now saved to your library and can be accessed directly in Photoshop or any other connected Adobe application.

Method 2: Using the Indexed Color Table (Multi-Color Extraction)

If you need a broader palette containing more than five colors, you can extract a palette using Photoshop’s Color Table mode.

  1. Flatten the Image: Ensure your image is flattened by selecting Layer > Flatten Image.
  2. Convert to Indexed Color: Navigate to Image > Mode > Indexed Color. If prompted to flatten layers, click OK.
  3. Configure Palette Settings:
    • Set Palette to Local (Perceptual) or Local (Selective).
    • Under Colors, enter the exact number of colors you want in your palette (for example, 8, 16, or 32).
    • Set Forced to None and Dither to None. Click OK.
  4. Access the Color Table: Go to Image > Mode > Color Table. Photoshop will display a grid of every color automatically extracted from the photograph.
  5. Save the Swatches: Click the Save... button inside the Color Table dialog box. Save the file with the .ACT (Adobe Color Table) extension.
  6. Load into Swatches: Open your Swatches panel (Window > Swatches), click the panel menu icon in the upper-right corner, select Import Swatches, and choose your saved .ACT file.