Secondary Colour Grading > Creating a Secondary by Keying a Range of Colours > Using the Diamond Keyer to Extract a Key >

# Sampling a Colour in the Diamond Keyer

The typical way to extract a key is to sample a pixel or an average colour in the image using the colour picker. Lustre also provides colour presets as a starting point for the key. You can also use previously saved keyer presets. See Saving and Loading Presets Using the Presets Lists.

To sample a colour:

1. Set the view mode to Output. You can click the O button or press F12.
   NotePressing F12 to set the view mode to Output only works from Matte view.
2. In the secondary layers panel, activate a layer.
   NoteIf you do not activate the secondary layer, the colour pot will not be updated with your colour sample.
3. Right-click the Keyer option box to enable the Diamond Keyer.

   The letters in the Keyer option box turn bright white indicating that the Diamond Keyer is enabled.

4. Enable the Source Primary button to use primary grading results as the input to a key.
   NoteWhen Src: Prim is disabled, the raw scan is used as the input to the keyer, effectively bypassing any input LUTs and primary grading that have been applied to your shot.

   (a) Source Primary button(b) Log to Lin button(c) Soften slider

5. Enable the Log to Lin button. See Tools Settings.
6. Adjust the Soften slider. See Tools Settings.
7. To sample a colour, do one of the following:
   - Click the colour pot.

     The colour pot is outlined in red.

   - Click a Presets option.

     The colour presets allow you to quickly select a starting point for your key. The R, G, B, C, M, and Y colour presets position the chrominance Tolerance and Softness Diamonds in the corresponding regions of the hue cube. The Sh (shadow), Mid (midtones), and Hi (highlights) presets select luminance ranges along the luminance axis.

   (a) Colour pot(b) Presets options

8. Sample the image:
   - To sample a single pixel, click and drag in the image until you locate the pixel you want to sample. As you drag, the colour of the current pixel appears in the colour pot. When you locate the pixel you want to sample, release the mouse.
   - To sample an average taken from a range of colours in the image, Alt-drag the image in the Player.

   The cursor changes to a colour picker when you move it over the image in the Player. When you release the mouse, the initial chrominance range is set for softness and tolerance on the hue cube, and the colour pot displays the sampled colour.

   NoteThe chrominance of the sampled colour is represented by a black dot on the hue cube and the luminance of the sampled colour is represented by an orange bar in the Luminance gradient.
9. If the colour pot is enabled, click it again to finish defining the colour.