diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/color_hud.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/color_hud.rs
index 47dca2b65e..8ca7522147 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/color_hud.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/color_hud.rs
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 //! current colour sits under the pointer (as the reference application does).
 //! While the right button stays down, moving the pointer over the HUD picks the foreground colour
 //! live (`tools.setColors` calls sharing one `coalesce` key, so the gesture is one history step,
-//! Rule 1); releasing the button keeps the colour and closes the HUD, Escape restores the colour
-//! the gesture started from. A left press closes it too, which is how the control channel ends a
-//! gesture it opened with `ui.pointer`.
+//! Rule 1); releasing the button or pressing Escape closes the HUD and keeps the colour picked so
+//! far, as in the reference application (Undo takes it back). A left press closes it too, which is
+//! how the control channel ends a gesture it opened with `ui.pointer`.
 //!
 //! The HUD is drawn as plain meshes and hit-tested from the raw pointer position rather than with
 //! interactive widgets: the selection follows the pointer while the *right* button is held, which
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ pub struct Hud {
     pub anchor: [f32; 2],
     /// The colour being picked: hue 0..360, saturation and value 0..1.
     pub hsv: [f32; 3],
-    /// The foreground colour when the gesture began; Escape restores it.
+    /// The foreground colour when the gesture began: where the HUD opens, and the alpha it keeps.
     pub start: [f32; 4],
     /// The `coalesce` key of this gesture's `tools.setColors` calls.
     pub key: u64,
@@ -176,16 +176,7 @@ pub fn show(app: &mut PhotocraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context) {
             i.pointer.hover_pos(),
         )
     });
-    if esc {
-        let start = hud.start;
-        let changed = app.session.tools.foreground != start;
-        close(&mut app.ui);
-        if changed {
-            set_foreground(app, start, hud.key);
-        }
-        return;
-    }
-    if (hud.hold && released) || pressed_left {
+    if esc || (hud.hold && released) || pressed_left {
         close(&mut app.ui);
         return;
     }
@@ -427,8 +418,10 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(foreground(&h), kept);
     }
 
+    /// The reference application's Escape ends the pick where it is: the HUD closes, the colour
+    /// picked so far stays, and moving afterwards changes nothing.
     #[test]
-    fn escape_restores_the_starting_colour() {
+    fn escape_closes_the_hud_and_keeps_the_picked_colour() {
         let mut h = harness();
         let c = h.state().last_canvas_rect.center();
         h.event(egui::Event::PointerMoved(c));
@@ -437,11 +430,19 @@ mod tests {
         let (_strip, square) = rects(&h);
         h.event(egui::Event::PointerMoved(square.center()));
         h.run_steps(2);
-        assert_ne!(foreground(&h), [0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0], "the pick is live");
+        let picked = foreground(&h);
+        assert_ne!(picked, [0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0], "the pick is live");
         h.key_press(egui::Key::Escape);
         h.run_steps(2);
         assert_eq!(h.state().ui.color_hud, None);
-        assert_eq!(foreground(&h), [0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 1.0], "Escape restores the colour");
+        assert_eq!(foreground(&h), picked, "Escape keeps the picked colour");
+        h.event(egui::Event::PointerMoved(square.min + vec2(2.0, 2.0)));
+        h.run_steps(2);
+        assert_eq!(foreground(&h), picked, "moving after Escape picks nothing");
+        button(&mut h, square.min + vec2(2.0, 2.0), false, SHIFT_ALT);
+        assert_eq!(h.state().ui.color_hud, None);
+        assert_eq!(h.state().ui.brush_picker, None, "releasing the button afterwards opens nothing");
+        assert_eq!(foreground(&h), picked);
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/docs/color-picker.md b/docs/color-picker.md
index 4c2e1e144f..d79a6f0273 100644
--- a/docs/color-picker.md
+++ b/docs/color-picker.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Click the color swatch in the Type options bar or Character panel to open the fu
 
 ## HUD Color Picker
 
-With a painting tool, **Shift+Alt+right-click** on the canvas opens the HUD Color Picker: a saturation/value square with a hue strip to its right, placed so the current color sits under the pointer. While the right button stays down, moving the pointer over the HUD sets the foreground color live; releasing the button keeps it. **Esc** restores the color the gesture started from. The whole gesture is one coalesced `tools.setColors` history step. The agents' equivalent is `ui.pointer` with `"button": "right"`, `"shift": true, "alt": true` (the down opens the HUD, the up closes it).
+With a painting tool, **Shift+Alt+right-click** on the canvas opens the HUD Color Picker: a saturation/value square with a hue strip to its right, placed so the current color sits under the pointer. While the right button stays down, moving the pointer over the HUD sets the foreground color live; releasing the button keeps it. **Esc** closes the HUD and keeps the color picked so far (Undo takes it back). The whole gesture is one coalesced `tools.setColors` history step. The agents' equivalent is `ui.pointer` with `"button": "right"`, `"shift": true, "alt": true` (the down opens the HUD, the up closes it).
 
 The existing canvas eyedropper continues to sample the document while the Color Picker is open, including canvas zoom and pan. This works without operating-system screen-capture permission.